KUALA LUMPUR,  22 DEcember 2006

The path has been cleared for former Malayan Racing Association (MRA) champion trainer Malcolm Thwaites to make a comeback to the local racing scene.

After months of intense negotiations amongst the MRA members, the 62-year-old's application for a trainer's licence has been accepted and registered with the ruling body for racing in Malaysia and Singapore.

Thwaites, along with former trainer Lam Mun Chiew and assistant trainer Hah Kee Choy, have six months to obtain stables from any of the four associated clubs. It was reported that the Selangor Turf Club is willing to grant him 30 stables.

Thwaites' career began as a amateur rider, then handicapper and finally setting his stables in Ipoh in 1986.

During this time, he won the premiership three times - in 1991, 1995 and 1997 and won virtually all the big races in Malaysia and Singapore.

In 1999, following the ban on the cross-border movement of horses, Thwaites moved to Singapore and trained at the new racecourse at Kranji.

He won the trainer's title in Singapore for three consecutive years from 2000-2002 and trained the first winner of the Singapore Airlines International Cup with OUZO in 2000.

Thwaites quit Singapore last year after being fined S$30,000 for a breach of the rules and headed for Macau but his stay at the former Portugese enclave turned out to a brief one.

However, Macau's loss is Malaysia's gain. But Macau racegoers will still be able to follow the career of Thwaites as selected Malaysian races are now beamed to Macau on weekends.

Singapore fans of Thwaites will have to contend with watching Thwaites on TV. A condition attached to his impending comeback is that he will only race his horses in Malaysia and not in Singapore.