Shanmugam wises up to No. 100

Suspicious Mind took trainer Shanmugam Subramaniam’s career tally to one win shy of the century on Oct 20, but such targets are not the reason why the Ipoh conditioner gets out of bed at 5am every day.

The names of his last five winners roll off his tongue, starting with Suspicious Mind, followed by his four September winners Ball And Chain, Burgundy Bubbles (twice) and The Swan.

But when asked about his overall score since he was licensed in 2012, he cannot hazard a guess.

“I’m not too sure. I remember the more recent ones,” he said from his Ipoh stables.

The 50-year-old might have been a touch more nervous had he known he was on the cusp of win No. 99 heading into the Ipoh meeting on Oct 20, but apparently not.

The Duporth seven-year-old’s sparkling form, coupled with a precise battle plan going into the RM35,500 (S$10,800) race, had Shanmugam brimming with confidence when he gave apprentice jockey Suriya Arunasalam the leg-up in the parade ring.

“I was very confident he would win. His feeding and training leading into Sunday’s race had been excellent,” he said.

“I told the jockey that everybody would choose the better ground down the middle, but he should stay on the inside even if it was soggy and chopped up.

“He followed my instructions to a tee, and it paid off.”

From all accounts, the three-time winner has pulled up in good order and is all set to form part of Shanmugam’s “century-bidding” squad on Nov 3 when they next race at Ipoh.

“Suspicious Mind will race again on Nov 3, in a Class 4. He’ll probably be the topweight on 61 points,” he said.

“I haven’t decided on the distance, but he’s a horse who is effective from 1,200m to 1,600m.”

Shanmugam may well roll out the heavy artillery with his rising star Burgundy Bubbles and the handy Ball And Chain joining the party.

“I may run Burgundy Bubbles in the Coronation Cup (1,600m). I haven’t quite decided yet,” he said.

“He’s won two from three. He, along with Suspicious Mind and Ball And Chain, are my top three horses.”

Some 35 years ago, Shanmugam would have wished he was the one sitting on their backs, following into the footsteps of two generations of jockeys.

But, with the genes for small build skipping his, he knew all along his destiny would lie in training instead.

“My grandfather Manickam and my father Subramaniam were both jockeys, but I got too heavy and couldn’t become a jockey like them,” he said.

“But I loved racing from young. I’ve been in it since I was 10, going to the stables. I remember my first master was Ivan Allan.

“I was a syce then. After that, I learned from trainers Lim Hock Bee, Graham Jordan, Danny Murphy, Barry Brogan, and even spent eight months in Perth with the great Fred Kersley.”

Shanmugam has not had much involvement with Singapore racing, but it was during his Australian stint that he crossed paths with one of its future legends.

“I was at the Magic Millions National Yearling sale on the Gold Coast in 2007. Fred and his partner Neville Duncan from Oakland Stud had a son of Viscount going up in the sale ring,” he recalled.

“Patrick Shaw was there and was about the only one bidding for him, finally getting him for A$60,000 (S$52,700). That horse was to become Rocket Man.

“Or else, I also remember Singapore trainers like Charlie Read, Richard Ang, Henry Tan and David Balfour. It was the good old days.”

Kuala Lumpur and Penang are the only outposts he has ventured to, with a reasonable dose of success, too, but Ipoh is home to him, even if he was raised in Penang.

“I was born in Ipoh but was brought up in Penang. I chose Ipoh because I love the place, the facilities are great,” he said.

“When I have a horse good enough to race in KL, I will go for it, but I don’t see myself leaving Ipoh, I’m happy here.”

manyan@sph.com.sg