Kuala Lumpur : 14 April 2026

Her Excellency Orla Tunney, Ambassador of Ireland to Malaysia, visited the Selangor Turf Club on Sunday, 12 April 2026 to witness the running of the Irish Thoroughbred Marketing Stakes (Race 5 – Open Maiden, 1250M). Her Excellency was accompanied by Mr Andrew Kelly, International Representative of Irish Thoroughbred Marketing.

The Ambassador was on hand to witness an Irish-bred galloper deliver a performance that lived up to its promising European pedigree. That galloper, JINLING STARBLITZ (formerly known as No Such Thing in Ireland), owned by Royal Apex Stables was trained by CW Choi and ridden by Jockey R Woodworth. The four-year-old gelding shed his maiden status in impressive style, storming home from near the rear of the field to win by three-quarters of a length in a time of 1:13.69 seconds.

Sent off as a well-supported favourite, Jinling Starblitz paid RM15 for a win dividend, rewarding those who kept faith in the lightly-raced son of Inns of Court. He settled smoothly from Barrier 2, angled into the clear on the home turf and lengthened decisively to hold off the fast-finishing Aquitaine.

Formerly named No Such Thing, the gelding compiled a consistent but luckless record in Ireland with four seconds and two thirds from 11 starts for trainers G M Lyons and later Ross O’Sullivan. His best efforts included a runner-up finish at Gowran Park and a third on the all-weather at Dundalk, earning a peak Racing Post Rating of 83. Since relocating to Malaysia and joining the stable of CW Choi, he has clearly thrived.

Winning Jockey R Woodworth commented: “He’s always shown ability at home. He settled beautifully, and when I asked him to go, he really lengthened. It’s great to get the maiden win on board for Royal Apex Stables.”

Trainer CW Choi added: “We always liked him. His Irish form was better than the record showed – he just needed the right race and a bit of luck. Today it all came together.”

During the prize giving ceremony of TATTERSALLS IRELAND BREEZE UP SALE TROPHY the connection of Jinling Starblitz was presented with an IRE Incentive Scheme of Euro10,000 (equivalent to RM46,000) for future purchase at sales and auctions conducted by Irish Thoroughbred Marketing.

The IRE Incentive Scheme is an initiative by Horse Racing Ireland to promote and reward the success of Irish-bred thoroughbreds, while strengthening Irish thoroughbred breeding, racing, and sales on the international stage. The scheme is funded by Horse Racing Ireland and managed by Irish Thoroughbred Marketing, with the support of the Irish Thoroughbred Breeders’ Association and the Foal Levy.

The presence of Her Excellency Orla Tunney underscored the strong bloodstock and racing ties between Ireland and Malaysia and adding a unique creative thread to the day’s story is the trendy Umamusume in Malaysia involved in the designing of the Royal Apex stable silks.

The Selangor Turf Club recently collaborated with local Umamusume fans, giving anime enthusiasts a first-of-its kind opportunity to leave their mark on real-life racing by naming horses, branding a racing stable and designing jockey silks and the Royal Apex Stables name and  jockey silk derived from the contest. The creative input of Umamusume in Malaysia on the Royal Apex Stables highlighted the growing crossover between racing culture and fan communities in the region.