Wong’s surprise return to Kranji

Of all the jockeys who have taken their saddles elsewhere when news broke out that Singapore racing would wind up in October 2024, Wong Chin Chuen would be among the few who made it.

The Malaysian former two-time Singapore champion apprentice has been an instant hit in Seoul, where he relocated to in March, alongside fellow Kranji jockey A’Isisuhairi Kasim.

But in a twist not many had seen coming, Wong is returning to the place which most thought he had already bade farewell to: Kranji.

Wong has already relinquished his licence to the Korea Racing Authority, and will land back in Singapore on Aug 5.

Not seen at Kranji since his Group 3-winning ride on Pacific Emperor in the Merlion Trophy on Oct 28, the 30-year-old will return at the Group 1 Raffles Cup (1,600m) meeting on Aug 11, the first of nine remaining meetings he will ride at before the curtain comes down.

Wong’s U-turn is akin to walking towards a tsunami wave and against the flow of the fleeing inhabitants towards higher grounds.

However, he has a much more down-to-earth reason for coming back full circle – family.

“I’m coming back for family reasons,” he said.

“It took me about one month to think through it carefully. I had a chat with my wife.

“I have to say I’m pretty happy with my performance in Korea. With 35 winners (in 235 rides) in five months, a second place in a Group 3 race, I can’t complain.

“Whether you’re a local or expat, the maximum number of rides per weekend is 12. I’ve managed an average of 10 to 12 horses per week, so I had good support.

“I also learned about the different way of training, the deep sand. The system is also different, as freelance, we don’t chase for rides.

“We wait for the trainers to come to us. I became quite close to trainer Park Jae Woo, though.

“I only know basic Korean like “joayo” if the horse is good or “pali pali” for faster, but the language barrier still makes it difficult for us to ask for rides.

“Overall, it was a good experience, but I just couldn’t live away from my family any more. I miss them too much.”

Ironically, it was only after wife Charlene and son Jayden flew from their Johor Bahru home to pay him a visit in May that homesickness really kicked in.

“Joayo” was one of those Korean words he also used a lot in every day life, like how he was doing, but which, in the last two months or so, sounded more like a platitude.

“The first three months were okay. It was a new place, I was happy and I was enjoying it,” he said.

“But, after my wife and son visited me for two weeks at the end of May, I missed them a lot after they went back. I felt very lonely. I was back to being by myself.

“As Singapore racing was still going on, I thought why not come back for the last two months for one last time.”

The decision still begs the question if he should not have stuck it out instead of wasting a shot at a “joayo” life – especially when the fall-back option is only a band-aid solution for two months.

Wong is adamant, though. It is not so much family first, career second, but more the two of them working hand in hand.

“Of course, I’ll continue riding in another country (after Singapore closes down), but I haven’t yet thought where,” he said.

“But it will have to be a place where I can take my family with me this time. I don’t want to end up alone like in Korea, it’ll be like going back to square one.”

Wong still has some way to go before crossing that bridge. For now he is turning all his attention to the shortlived, but potentially fulfilling stint back in his old backyard.

In weighing up his options, one horse might have also tipped the scales towards the homecoming.

“I haven’t really called many trainers back home, other than Daniel Meagher,” said Wong who will return to his old Johor Bahru-Kranji commute routine.

“I got Lim’s Saltoro, which is not too bad for a comeback meeting. I’ll ride him in the Raffles Cup.

“So far I got three rides for that meeting, including one more from Daniel.”

If Lim’s Saltoro was a major pull factor, there is another one he had a strong bond with, but is, however, off limits – Singapore’s superstar Lim’s Kosciuszko.

In nine rides on the recent Lion City Cup treble winner, he steered him to five of his nine Group 1 wins, including the 2023 Raffles Cup.

Wong himself got the gig after Danny Beasley returned to Australia in 2023, but then gave way to Marc Lerner when he moved to Seoul. The French jockey now boasts a perfect five-from-five record on the Kermadec seven-year-old.

“Lim’s Kosciuszko is the champ, but of course, I can’t ride him. Marc’s done a great job on him,” said Wong.

“I’m happy to be Lim’s Saltoro’s jockey. He’s the next best and who knows what can happen?”

The Shamexpress five-year-old tasted defeat only once in 10 starts, by Lim’s Kosciuszko in an epic Group 2 EW Barker Trophy (1,400m) in April.

Both horses will spearhead Meagher and the Lim’s Stable’s charge towards the remaining three feature races – the Raffles Cup, the Group 1 Queen Elizabeth II Cup (1,800m) on Sept 7 and the Group 1 Grand Singapore Gold Cup (2,000m) on Oct 5.

manyan@sph.com.sg