PENANG,  2 Jul 2009

The days of combined professional/amateur (pro-am) race meetings are over.

The Malayan Amateur Racing Association (MARA) have informed the Malayan Racing Association that is not able to continue amateur racing due to insufficient horses.

Races for amateur riders used to be very popular in the seventies, so popular that the Malayan Racing Association even set aside one weekend for the Kedah Gymkhana Club in Alor Star to stage a full card of races for amateur riders.

In more recent times, Malaysian turf clubs have been holding amateur races together with professional races for home-based horses during public holidays.

However, the number of 'amateur' horses have declined alarmingly. Two combined pro-am race meetings last October and December were called off due to lack for entries.

The solitary amateur race at Sungei Besi on Jan 17 this year attracted nine entries. On April 18, the pro-am meeting in Penang saw only six horses contesting the sole amateur race.

The pro-am meeting scheduled for April 30 in Ipoh was cancelled, signalling the beginning of the end for pro-am meetings.