2026-07-27

Tim Rowe found himself in Malaysia this weekend for the country’s richest race, where ex-Australian horses were to the fore, the punters were back after the distractions of the World Cup, Jett Stanley was making an impression, and a tribute to a New Zealand legend was on display. 

This week last year, Rowe On Monday was at Goodwood, Panama hat and all on the coattails of Asfoora and her trainer Henry Dwyer’s extended overseas jaunt.

Twelve months on and Kuala Lumpur is the destination, having just attended the second running of the RM1 million (AUD$350,000) Selangor Mile, Malaysia’s richest race.

Significantly, the Selangor Mile has become an event, with expatriate New Zealander Sharee Hamilton declaring it was the biggest crowd she’d witnessed at the KL races in 20 years.

The contrasts between the Duke Of Richmond’s five-day Goodwood extravaganza and the Selangor Turf Club are significant.

But for the Australasian industry, it’s hard to argue that the Malaysian racing industry – and its premier club Selangor in KL – isn’t more important to it than the prestige of Goodwood.

And that’s no knock on Goodwood, I’d go back in a heartbeat next year.

With the demise of racing in Singapore in October 2024, the regular supply of horses to Malaysia stopped, putting pressure on the industry’s equine population.

It meant that all horses would need to be sourced from other jurisdictions, predominantly Australia and New Zealand via online and the two-year-old breeze-up sales.

The Selangor Mile itself was won by the Simon Dunderdale-trained Aquitaine, a four-year-old by Deep Field formerly trained by Chris Waller who raced as Wa Wa Wa in Australia.

HY Cheng trained the runner-up Fortune Tree (formerly trained by Ciaron Maher when called Jazzclub) and Anjou Crown, another ex-Waller horse called Bendrodt and a stablemate of the winner, ran third.

It was an Inglis Digital first four, with Stratosphere’s Good Friend a cheap $20,000 buy for racecaller and syndicator Anthony Manton on behalf of trainer Richard Lines. 

Aquitaine, who came from last, also proved a major return victory for Malaysian rider CC Wong who had ridden with distinction in Singapore and Korea until his permanent move home earlier this month. 

He was cheered back to scale by the “once-a-year” racegoers crowding over the fence as he brought the gelding back into the parade ring.

The spectre of sports betting

The Selangor Mile meeting was marketed as a family-friendly race day with activities for children co-existing alongside the intense focus on the gambling by the Selangor regulars.

The gambling aspect would have been a relief to Selangor Turf Club general manager Kwang Eng Seong, who has taken on increased responsibilities as long-time chief executive Mike Fong takes a step back. 

This column was told on Sunday that tote turnover on Selangor racing conducted during the 39 days of the World Cup took a major hit, with Malaysian punters directing their attention (and punting bank) to the soccer.

Unlike in many other countries, there is no legal avenue for Malaysian gamblers to wager on soccer or other sports, for that matter, but, of course, prohibition rarely works and it doesn’t stop them finding a way.

Malaysian racing clubs Selangor and Perak do not gain any revenue from sports betting, a challenge administrators face that their peers in some other major racing regions do not.

For instance, principal racing authorities in Australia receive a share of point of consumption tax (POCT) revenue from punters who bet on all manner of events via corporate bookmakers.

The Hong Kong Jockey Club also conducts legal betting on football for its punters, with the club reporting at the conclusion of its just-completed 2025/26 season that soccer betting turnover rose 7.83 per cent to a record HK$172.8 billion. 

Stanley’s travels

Back on the track, Victorian jockey Jett Stanley had his first rides in Malaysia on Sunday, having flown up to ride Navarre in the Selangor Mile, and while he didn’t get a winner, he impressed connections and punters alike, so it’s unlikely to be his last visit.

Malaysian racing isn’t foreign to Stanley, having followed his father, jockey-turned-trainer Brent, around to countries such as Macau, Mauritius and Malaysia.

He was able to call on his father’s experience to assist in races where being on the pace is generally an advantage.

Rare Sir Tristram statue at home in KL

If we weren’t told (and shown it) we wouldn’t have known, but in a trophy cabinet on one of the floors of the Selangor Turf Club is a rare solid bronze horse statue and plaque dedicated to New Zealand’s champion sire Sir Tristram.

The statue, so the story goes, was donated by New Zealand Bloodstock to the Selangor Turf Club many years ago and was worth a pretty penny then and even more now. 

A few others were donated at the time, but there’s not too many in existence.

The only other similar Sir Tristram statues are at the Cambridge Stud museum honouring the sire as well as another for his champion son Zabeel.

It’s fitting that we mention Cambridge Stud as the famous New Zealand farm’s current custodians Brendan and Jo Lindsay were on Saturday crowned the country’s Breeder of the Year at the New Zealand Thoroughbred Breeders’ Awards.

The award is named in honour of Cambridge Stud founders Sir Patrick and Lady Justine Hogan.

Source : Tim Rowe