KUALA LUMPUR,  9 Sept 2009

Dubai based trainer Aditiyan Umesh Kumar Selvaratnam will be making the switch to Malaysia after being granted a trainer licence by the Malayan Racing Association.

The Selangor Turf Club (SLTC) has granted the 48-year-old Sri Lankan 30 stalls. In anticipation of his impending move, Selvaratnam had on Aug 21 transferred 12 horses from Dubai to Kuala Lumpur.

"We're trying to attract too-class trainers to set up shop here at Sungei Besi. This is the first step to help improve the quality of our horse population which currently stands at 670," SLTC chairman Dato Richard Cham said earlier.

"Calibre trainers will bring quality horses and if you have these two elements, then the standard of horse-racing will improve."

Selvaratnam started his career in horse racing at 15 learning the trade from his horse trainer father R Selvaratnam in 1976. He became an assistant trainer in 1983, turning full-fledge in 1986 when he set up shop in Kuwait where he trained mostly for the royal family, finishing second in his debut season.

He moved back to Sri Lanka when Kuwait was invaded 1991 but returned again in 1994 and stayed till 1996. He then spent three years as a trainer and a stud farm manager in Oman from 1997.

In 1999, he established Midhish & Desert 2 Stables as his training base in Dubai where he has trained several world class horses such as CONROY, winner of the Group 3 Mahab Al Shimaal from 2002-2004, MALAYEEN (2008 WRC Sprint Final) and SALAAM DUBAI, who finished third in the Group 1 Dubai Golden Shaheen in 2004 and 2007.

SALAAM DUBAI was in Singapore last year to take part in the KrisFlyer International Sprint but was unplaced.

Selvaratnam also has a runner each year in the Dubai World Cup since 2002.