IPOH:  Mar 19, 2013

Just three days after saddling his first winner of the 2013 season, Ipoh trainer Simon Liew Yoon Nam has notified the MRA that he is relinquishing his licence tomorrow.

After a difficult start to the year, Liew finally made the breakthrough with SENTOSA (Canny Lad - Berries by King Of Kings) in a Class 5 - 1300m sprint in Penang last Saturday.

Since achieving his career high 31 winners, finishing sixth in the table in 2009, Liew has struggled to repeat the feat. He had 12 winners in 2010, 16 the following year and only nine last season.

Two other notable seasons for Liew, a one-time assistant to trainer Malcolm Thwaites, were 2003 when he saddled 23 winners and 2006 when his haul was 24 wins.

In his 14 years on the scene, Liew has done well in the big races, notably the Sultan Gold Vase which he won three years in succession with LABU LABU (Island Morn - Tropical Punch by Pago Pago).

Two other top gallopers he trained were TRIPLE HAPPY (Bletchley Park - Red Marya by Red Anchor), who won the Sprint Trophy in 2006 and the Tunku Gold Cup in 2008, and TRIPLE LUCK (Akhenaton - Casual Lies by Hungtingdale), winner of the Coronation Cup in 2008 and the Sprint Trophy in 2009.