Trainer Selvan in good Nick at Penang

While many Singapore trainers are eyeing Malaysia for their next job, a former familiar Kranji face is already making a name for himself across the Causeway – Nick Selvan.

The only difference is that the northern immigration came by necessity for the likes of David Kok, Richard Lim and Mahadi Taib.

With Singapore racing closing down on Oct 5, it was sink or swim – they had to seek new pastures. Logistically and economically, our next-door neighbour made the strongest appeal.

On the other hand, Selvan was not a licensed trainer when he left Kranji in 2021. He had worked as an assistant to former Singapore-based Kiwi trainer Stephen Gray for eight years.

It was time to paddle his own canoe. Home just gave better opportunities to branch out on his own.

The former jockey was not breaking new ground, though.

Many Malayan Racing Association (MRA) trainers before him have charted that Singapore-Malaysia career path, such as Mohd Sukri, Johnny Lim and Lawson Moy, all Singaporeans. Joseph Leck is the latest to have followed suit.

But Selvan, the likeable fellow known to many around Kranji, has proven his training chops quite quickly on his home turf.

At only his sophomore year on the Malaysian circuit, Selvan, who was licensed in March 2023, currently sits sixth on 25 winners.

The 56-year-old Kuala Lumpur-born trainer is only one win shy of equalling his debut haul of 26 in 2023. On Aug 17, he pulled off a feat of sorts by saddling two winners – Rocketship and Dancing Tycoon, both ridden by Khairil Zulkiflee – from as many starters in Penang.

The perfect score was not a first by any stretch of the imagination, but Selvan felt as buoyed as the day he made waves with a personal best of four winners at his Kuala Lumpur home base on Feb 18.

“I’ve trained many winners in Penang, but that was a special day for me. A new owner of mine, Ms Lim Paik See, is from Penang and wanted to have her two horses race in her hometown,” said Selvan, who has 33 horses on his books.

“She and her husband have had winners with me in Kuala Lumpur, but their family couldn’t go up there to watch the horses win.

“This time, they were all there in Penang and were so happy when their two horses won.”

Incidentally, the only other race on the three-race programme was captured by another former Kranji acquaintance, Parama Sivan Veerapen, better known as V. Sivan, the trainer of the winner, Chicago Star.

The three winners’ link with Singapore was not lost on racegoers who place a flutter or two on Malaysian races.

Chicago Star used to be trained by Lim while Rocketship and Dancing Tycoon came from Ricardo Le Grange and Selvan’s former boss, Gray, respectively.

In the latter case, it would appear the pupil has outdone the master.

A Written Tycoon seven-year-old, Dancing Tycoon was a one-time winner when he came to Selvan, but two starts under his care have resulted in two wins.

“Before Stephen went back to New Zealand, he sold Dancing Tycoon to me,” said Selvan. “He’s won two from two now.

“No Fun No Gain, Cavallo Court and Heavenly Dancer also came from him.

“What I learned from Stephen during my time at Kranji has definitely helped me become a good trainer, but I’m still learning.

“I’m very sad Singapore racing is ending, and I feel sad for my friends (fellow trainers). I welcome those who will come up here.

“Some Kranji horses recently came to me, like Buuraq Sixty-One for AJ’s Stable and Contarelli. But, till now, most of my owners are Malaysian like Zarinah Abdul Hamid, one of my main supporters.

“So my doors are also open to any interested Singapore owners.”

manyan@sph.com.sg