In search of a brand new Ewe
Battling Kranji jockey temporarily shifts base to Malaysia in search of confidence
Malaysian jockey Mark Ewe may have called Singapore home but he has always had a bit of luck on his own turf in his heyday as a leading apprentice.
He is now banking on the happy hunting ground of his former pitstop visits to resurrect his Kranji career.
In 25 rides at mostly Kuala Lumpur and Penang between 2007 and 2011, the Penang native knocked in seven wins, the highlight undoubtedly his perfect Sungei Besi three-from-three at his very first raid on Dec 8, 2007.
The former three-time Singapore champion apprentice jockey (2008 to 2010) then stopped the cameos across the Causeway to focus on his adopted home in the last 11 years.
But when rides, let alone wins, became scarce at Kranji in the latter seasons, Ewe’s gaze turned northward again. Covid-19 has hurt everybody across the board but Ewe was even worse off, with only two winners to show in 2021 (Fate To Win) and 2022 (Doc Hudson), both for trainer David Kok.
With his Kranji win count jammed at 137 since Jan 29, it was the right time to go knocking on these Malaysian doors again.
Except that the 39-year-old was not packing just an overnight carry-on bag this time round. He bought a one-way ticket to Kuala Lumpur, relocating to the Malaysian capital in September.
Ewe had a first winless meeting from eight rides at Sungei Besi on Saturday, but he was only warming up to the task. The next day, he got his breakthrough at lucky No. 13 ride, atop Shine Shine, before he strung up a race-to-race double aboard San Andreas.
Having in only one day scooped up a haul that took him two long years in Singapore, it is doubtful Ewe will be booking his return flight any time soon.
“Things weren’t too good in Singapore. So, I’ve come back to Malaysia looking for better results,” he said with a touch of sadness.
“Hopefully, it’ll give me more confidence in my riding. I can then return to Singapore and hope for better opportunities from owners and trainers.”
Aware that his poor Singapore form was not the best publicity to pitch for rides, Ewe was pleasantly surprised by the overwhelming response.
“I called my good friend, jockey HK (Han Kok) Cheng, whose brother HY (Han Yong) Cheng is a trainer. I asked if I could get rides if I came up to Malaysia,” said Ewe.
“When HY said he would support me, I decided to try my luck. I’ve only been riding trackwork in KL for about two to three weeks and didn’t expect so many rides at my first weekend.
“Other than HY, trainers like AB Abdullah and KC (Kim Choi) Tiang have also been supporting me. As I don’t really know the other trainers, I’m doing some networking.
“I saw my old boss Charles Leck and said hi to him, but he’s already got his son Clyde riding for him. So I don’t think I’ll get rides from him.
“Anyway, I’m off to a good start with the double. Let’s hope my luck continues as I plan to stay till the end of the season in December."
Class 4 events over 1,400m and handy draws were the common denominator to Ewe’s brace on Sunday.
On the Tiang-trained Shine Shine ($72), he never went round horses from barrier No. 1 while he again hugged the rails on the Abdullah-trained San Andreas ($30) in the next race but had to peel off the back of a couple of horses before working his way to the line.
Ewe was not the only Kranji face to make his presence felt at Sungei Besi. Fellow Malaysians Wong Chin Chuen and Simon Kok were both at their inaugural Malaysian one-day stints since coming under a Singapore Turf Club licence.
The Kranji duo rode three winners between them on Sunday but, unlike Ewe, were at hit-and-run missions, which they intend to renew, provided the Malaysian meetings do not clash with Kranji fixtures.
Eventually, Ewe would like to revert to a similar schedule built around Kranji as the headquarters.
“My licence is still from the Singapore Turf Club. I’ve applied for a licence for next year; fingers crossed, I get it,” he said.
“Even if I’ve had two tough seasons, this is where I want to ride.”
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