KUALA LUMPUR:  Jul 2, 2014

The Malayan Racing Association Cup (MRA Cup), jointly sponsored by the four turf clubs in Malaysia and Singapore, will not be run from this year onwards.

The 2014 MRA Cup was originally scheduled to be run at Kranji on Aug 24.

The Cup was first staged over 2000m in Ipoh in 1988 on a rotation basis amongst the four clubs and the first winner was the great champion COLONIAL CHIEF who repeated the feat two years later when it was run over 1850m at Bukit Timah.

In between, the late Ivan Allan saddled GRAND ILLUSION to victory over 2200m in Penang in 1989.

The only other horse to win the Cup twice was GREG IS GREAT in 2003 and 2004, when the Cup was run over 1700m at Sungei Besi and Penang respectively.

The only dead-heat recorded in the Cup came in 2000, after the cessation of cross-border racing the year before, when HIGH WIRE, trained by the late Johann van Breukelen, and THE BIG BOPPER, trained by John Sargent, were inseparable at the end of 2000m in Penang.

The discontinuation of the MRA Cup means the end of another MRA tradition.

It was announced earlier that the Malayan Racing Association will no longer present the MRA Awards from next year onwards.

The MRA Awards are presented to the champion owner, trainer, jockey and apprentice jockey in Malaysia and Singapore each season. A panel of judges also select the champion horse in each country.

For Malaysia, an additional award is given to the top Malaysian bred as selected by the panel.