KUCHING: The Sarawak Turf and Equestrian Club (STEC) will raise the stakes money across the board, starting from the next race meeting on April 15.
It is learnt the amount involved annually will be about RM10,000, covering five meetings with five races each.
The increase in added money is in line with the Club’s aim to revamp the king of sports on the local turf. The hike is the first in a long while and is understood to top a list of improvements the Club plans to carry out this year.
Race goers will welcome the Club’s move to give local racing a timely leg-up. Any effort to make racing at the Mile 8 Penrissen course more attractive to racing fans is a plus that deserves to be applauded.
The Club has also decided to retire ponies over the age of 20, mostly in the lower classes, especially Class V, but is leaving open the option to retain them temporarily should the new ponies from Sabah need more time to shape up.
“We’re not closing the door altogether. Let’s wait and see what happens between now and the next meeting,” a top Club official said.
The animal population at the Club has dropped from between 60 and 70 to fewer than 40 now. Due to drastically reduced numbers and the resultant disparities in standards among the ponies, races are frequently won out of sight.
One way to address this imbalance is boost the animal population. The Club’s importation of 12 Sabah ponies lately is a positive step in this direction. Seven of the ponies are already here while the remaining five are expected to arrive soon.
The new arrivals will save Class V from deletion and also mean the five races each meeting will be retained – and hopefully increased in the future.
Two riders passed their riding competency tests after the first meeting in February. They are former MRA riding boy Roslan Bujang and newcomer Azizi Jasmi. It is learnt the Club is looking into ways to bolster the present crop of jockeys and is contemplating giving incentives to attract potential riders.
There is also a need to recruit more trainers. Racing enthusiasts with the experience and know-how in handling race horses or ponies can be considered for licensing if they are keen to become trainers. Stable mandors with similar attributes can also be given the chance to run their own stables.
More trainers, jockeys and ponies will pave the way to better racing and this, in turn, will provide the right impetus to win back the racing crowd.