Latest news with #PenangTurfClubFarewellTrophy
New Paper
17-06-2025
- Sport
- New Paper
Super Salute's fan base looks all set to broaden
Super Salute has shown racegoers that he is not just a "one-track" pony. A prolific winner at Kranji - nine, seven for Jason Lim and two for Richard Lim (of no relation) - including three at Group level, the son of I Am Invincible has since gone where they send him. After he crossed the Causeway to continue his career in Malaysia following the closure of Singapore racing in October, he has tried his utmost to turn on the charm despite a bad back. He may have yet to garner that kind of support at his new home in Selangor, but he is getting there. Under the care of his new trainer, the Kuala Lumpur-based Sivan Veerapen, he has already won twice, once at his home base and once in Ipoh. Racing fans at Ipoh will remember him for that win on their track on April 13. That day, under a ride from 4kg claimer Nik Shahronnizam and sent off a raging favourite, Super Salute justified all that confidence by beating Mega Gems by almost four lengths over the 1,300m. It was then back to Kuala Lumpur for his next task on May 4. Pitted against some really good opposition and sent over the same 1,300m journey - this time in the more experienced hands of Shafiq Rizuan - Super Salute unleashed a run at the top of the stretch to beat Pacific Victory by ¾-length. Not done yet, he still had Penang to conquer and he could not have chosen a bigger and better stage to pull it off. It was on May 31, the day the curtain was to fall on racing at Penang when Super Salute took the commemorative race, the Penang Turf Club Farewell Trophy (1,300m) in dominant fashion, beating Pacific Vampire by 2½ lengths. A record of three wins at all three Malaysian tracks, from nine race starts, is surely something to crow about. That genuineness was still there for all to see on the morning of June 17, when he emerged as one of the stars on the training track at Sungai Besi. Taken out for a romp, he was not extended to clock 41.2sec for the 600m. Back to the present and Sivan has picked a challenging race at Kuala Lumpur on June 22 for his six-year-old. It is the Supreme "A" contest to be run over the 1,400m and Super Salute - with his rating of 117 - will have to give weight to all of his rivals. However, on the back of that most recent workout, Super Salute looks to be in a good place right now and should run a good race. Also catching the eye on the same morning were So We Fight and Commander. Both looked in good order when clocking 41.2sec for the 600m. The Simon Dunderdale-trained So We Fight is a galloper going places. The four-year-old son of So You Think has had a break since his last race on April 5 when he led but faded to eighth to Red Dragonfly in a Class 4A (1,400m). On June 22, the three-time winner (1,020m to 1,500m) will have just his second race over 1,200m. His last seven outings have all been over 1,400m and beyond. Given his preference for racing from the front, the shorter 1,200m of that Class 4A race could be just what he is looking for - especially coming off a break. Another one from Dunderdale's stable, Commander has been a good horse to have in the barn. Formerly with Donna Logan, who saddled him to one win at Kranji on Dec 17, 2023, the son of U S Navy Flag has turned the corner since joining Dunderdale. After a wining debut for his new yard in a Class 5A race (1,300m) in Kuala Lumpur on Sept 8, he doubled up two weeks later when stepped up to a Class 4 (1,400m) at the same track, beating Golden Lightning by ¾-length. Thereafter, Commander found the competition tougher in that grade, albeit he managed to eke out another win from Leopard Eclipse in a 1,400m contest on Dec 8, which was to be the last time he greeted the judge. He has mixed his form since, but would have inspired stable confidence when he finished second - by a neck - in his last start in a Class 4B race (1,150m) on June 7. At his 30th race start this weekend, he will trot out with a handy weight of 54.5kg. If anything, he deserves more than just a second glance. brian@
New Straits Times
31-05-2025
- Sport
- New Straits Times
Emotional victory for Penang-born jockey as PTC rides into the sunset
GEORGE TOWN: As horse racing at the Penang Turf Club (PTC) in Batu Gantung draws to a close, the club commissioned a specially named farewell trophy to mark its swan song. The 1,300m Race 6 featured 14 horses competing for the RM250,000 Penang Turf Club Farewell Trophy. It was won by Super Salute, trained by V. Sivan and jockeyed by C.K. Khaw. Khaw, 31, a Penang native, said the win was all the more meaningful to him, as this was the last race at PTC. "I am speechless. I wasn't leading from the beginning but at the 350m mark, I saw a gap and seized the opportunity to move in and overtake. "I pushed through all the way to the finish line." Khaw began his career as a jockey after finishing high school at 19, and has been riding professionally for 12 years. "This is not the hardest race I've won but it was the most significant -- winning on Penang soil, on the final day of the PTC." Khaw, based in Kuala Lumpur, said he intends to ride professionally for as long as he can. "Although PTC has ceased operations, I'll keep competing at the Perak and Selangor Turf Clubs and aim to grow my name in the industry." Meanwhile, Sivan told the "New Straits Times" that he was happy with the win but sad that today was the last race at PTC. "What's more, Super Salute set a track record with an impressive time. "We'll continue racing in Kuala Lumpur, but for now, Super Salute deserves a good rest." The final race started at 4.25pm and ended at 4.27pm, which marked the official closing of the track. The Special Rapid Stakes A 1,300m was won by horse No 5 Lucky Magic, trained by H.Y. Cheng and jockeyed by R. Shafiq. With the conclusion of the seven races, Penang bids farewell to a cherished institution.
New Paper
30-05-2025
- Sport
- New Paper
Ong's first and last stab at Penang races
Jason Ong will have his first runners in Penang on May 31, but they will also be his last. That new milestone for the two-time Singapore champion trainer begins and ends so quickly, simply because the Penang Turf Club will be staging its last meeting in 162 years of existence on that day. Low turnover and attendances have forced the second of the original four Malayan Racing Association clubs to close doors after the Singapore Turf Club on Oct 5. Ong, who has never set foot at the Batu Gantong track but did visit Penang as the typical Singaporean tourist in search of its famous street food, said he could not possibly let this last chance of saddling a runner there go begging. "I've been to Penang but not its races. It'll be nice to be there," said Ong. "There's nothing to celebrate, obviously, but I can now say I had a runner there before it closes." After relocating to Kuala Lumpur in November, the 37-year-old handler has not taken long to bring his Singapore dominance up north. With his powerful Kranji squad more or less moving wholesale, his haul of two to three winners a week have already become part of the Sungai Besi landscape. Ong is already well clear at the top on 41 wins, including two at his only Ipoh visit on March 30. Penang was always on his radar, but opportunities were rare, with only one meeting (March 8) held after so many cancellations. The end was nigh and, when the club announced it was curtains, Ong circled its final day in red. Of particular interest is the highlight, the RM250,000 (S$76,000) Penang Turf Club Farewell Trophy, which, unlike the Grand Singapore Gold Cup (2,000m) deliberately run as Singapore's very last race, is slated as the penultimate event on the seven-race programme. The 1,300m trip of the Special Rapid Stakes A made Ong wince, but he would still press on with his first choice - Pacific Vampire. Ironically, the noted speedster also ran in the Singapore Gold Cup but was a spent force 500m out before floundering to last place. While Ong would have preferred 1,200m, he is convinced the Impending five-year-old will not raise the white flag so early this time. "Vampire is the best horse in my barn. He was my logical choice for the race," he said. "The 1,300m is a question mark as all his wins (four in Kranji and two in Kuala Lumpur) have not been beyond 1,200m, but he has matured a lot here. "He needed two or three runs to get right, but we saw how he relaxed better in his last two wins. "I think he can see out the 1,300m, but of course, we don't know how he'll handle the travelling and the different track. "Penang doesn't look much different from KL. He'll be right." Pacific Vampire jumps from the inside alley with Jerlyn Seow up. If he and three stablemates come up short, Ong has one last bullet in the actual Penang swansong. Pacific Padrino, who is also first emergency in the Farewell Trophy, is in the last race, another Special Rapid Stakes A over 1,300m. manyan@
