Malaysia’s reigning champion trainer, prominent Selangor Turf Club-based Simon Dunderdale, has made a big impression since arriving in Kuala Lumpur in 2016, immediately making his mark on the Malaysian racing scene.
The commanding premier stable in 2024, Dunderdale trained 73 winners, 26 clear of his nearest rival, at an impressive strike rate of 20.8 per cent. His dominance was further demonstrated by the fact he twice had four winners on a day and also prepared five winners at a Selangor meeting in 2024.
Dunderdale has leveraged his experience working in numerous countries, starting in his native New Zealand before crossing the Tasman to work in Australia in the 1990s. He subsequently ventured to England, Germany, Ireland, Japan and Macau to further his hands-on knowledge of the racing industry, which led him to taking out his own trainer’s licence in Turkey in the early 2000s.
A chance opportunity prompted Dunderdale to relocate to Kuala Lumpur at the end of 2016 and in the years since he has worked his way up the Malaysian training ranks with a results-driven approach. He has prided himself on a high winning strike-rate, achieving the best win percentage in 2022 and 2023, while his Tearra Racing stable has also won a batch of Malaysia’s signature races.
They include the 2022 Tunku Gold Cup with Awesome Storm, who is consistently Malaysia’s highest-rated horse having also won six straight races. In 2023, Dunderdale was successful in winning the Group 1 Coronation Cup, the Sports Toto Cup and the Charity Cup with Good Fight as well as the Selangor Gold Cup with Pasir Pinji (2023) and Antipodean (2024). He has also trained the winner of the Group 1 Perak Derby with Fortunique (2017) and Guru Fight (2026).
Dunderdale has 60 horses in training at Selangor Turf Club.

Career Highlights:

• CHAMPION TRAINER – 2024 premier trainer in Malaysia, winning 73 races, 26 clear of nearest rival, at a strike rate of 20.8 per cent.
• ANTIPODEAN – Selangor Gold Cup 2024, 3 Years Old Pacific Cup 2024 & New Zealand Bloodstock 3 Years Old Trophy 2024, Sports Toto Supreme 2024, NZB Ready To Run Open Championship 2025
• GOOD FIGHT – Coronation Cup 2023, Challenge Cup 2023, Charity Cup 2023, Sports Toto Supreme 2023
• PASIR PINJI – Selangor Gold Cup 2023
• AWESOME STORM – Tunku Gold Cup 2022
• FORTUNIQUE – Perak Derby 2017
• GURU FIGHT – Perak Derby 2026