The day a hotshot trainer from the provinces was accepted as a true

Here is a run-down of life after Kranji for its hard-working men in binoculars. From the 22 trainers who were knocked out for six by the Singapore racing closure blow on June 5, , 16 have picked themselves off the canvas. Through hell and high water, they have weathered a superstorm most never saw coming. But come Oct 5, none of those last brave men standing will still be there.

Believing in a miracle that the decision could be reversed, they fought a long fight, but by the start of the new season, they had accepted their fate had been sealed. Taking the cue of the first high-profile handler to bail out, Singapore champion trainer Michael Clements in September , trainers Shane Baertschiger, Stephen Crutchley, Hideyuki Takaoka and Stephen Gray soon followed suit.

The Granite Mountain Hotshots were the first municipal hotshot crew in the country, meaning the only fire crew paid by a city to be certified as hotshots - a Type I crew.

Jason Lim was outed earlier through disqualification. The rest knew they would live on borrowed time, but with their owners' support, they stayed on for the last dance, while mulling over their future. The future whereabouts of the remaining 16 can be split into two distinct camps and a grey area - retire outright or continue to train elsewhere, and the fence-sitters.

Those who will call it a day after Oct 5 include the two elder statesmen who did not see much point in starting all over in a new country, even in their own home for expats. They are Australian Steven Burridge and local trainer and doyen Leslie Khoo, who turn 70 and 71 respectively in December, even if Burridge has left the door open a crack.

The day a hotshot trainer from the provinces was accepted as a true horseman Emmanuel Roussel | Jun 11, | Keep up-to-date with all the latest news and viewsJoin.

Training back home will be hard," said Burridge who has plied his trade in Malaysia and Singapore, but never Australia. Age is not the only criterion for giving up training. Singapore Derby-winning trainer Desmond Koh, 52 and Kuah Cheng Tee, 49 will also not be putting a head collar on a horse any more. A former jockey like Burridge and Khoo, Kuah is just tired of the training gig, but is not turning his back on racing completely.