With his death at the age of 98, Malaysian and Singapore racing circuit lost one of its most prominent racehorse owners.

Tan was self-made man who started out as a bank clerk at age 17 in the Chinese Commercial Bank, one of the three Hokkien banks that merged in 1932 to form Overseas-Chinese Banking Corporation (OCBC). The other two were the Overseas Chinese Bank and the Ho Hong Bank.

He rose through the ranks to become OCBC’s managing director in 1942 and its concurrent chairman in 1966 until his retirement. Under his stewardship, OCBC changed from a family business into a modern financial institution. After the end of World War II and through the 1950s, Tan brought a number of British companies into the OCBC stable and localised their boards. These include Times Publishing, Fraser & Neave, Great Eastern Life Assurance Company, United Engineers, Robinsons, Wearnes Brothers and Raffles Hotel.

Tan, who was honoured by the Malaysian government with a Tan Sri title, was also actively involved in public service, a devoted family man and had a great love for horse racing.

Tan was introduced to racing in 1951 and became acting chairman of the Singapore Turf Club in 1982 when the then chairman Tan Sri Runme Shaw had a fall and went into a coma. Tan later became the chairman until he stepped down in 1986.

However, in 1988, he briefly headed the Bukit Turf Club, the racing arm of the Singapore Totalisator Board, which had taken over all racing operations and assets in Singapore.

The Singapore Turf Club, left with no function, soon existed the scene. Some years later, the Bukit Turf Club was renamed the Singapore Turf Club. 

Tan once owned one of the most successful strings of horses under the assume name Chens’ Stable. Most his horses were under the charge of (Dato Seri) Teh Choon Beng, now a committee member of the Penang Turf Club, who provided him with all his five big race successes.

Tan’s first major success came in 1959 when HAPPY MELODY won the 1959 Agong Gold Cup. Ten years later, he won the Tunku Gold Cup with CHAI KHAN.

His other major wins were the 1981 Queen Elizabeth II Cup (TOWKAY), the 1985 Yang Di Pertua Negeri (Governor) Gold Cup (TRUTH) and the inaugural running of the Raffles Cup in 1991 (TUNEFUL MELODY).

Tan leaves behind two daughters, eight grandchildren and eight great-grand children. His wife Helen and only son Tan Keng Siong are deceased.