When racing was closed in Singapore after 180 years and the remaining horses were moved on from the sprawling training complex at Kranji, jockey Jerlyn Seow was still on a mission.
Seow, who became the first female champion apprentice in Singapore before its closure in October 2024, has continued her riding career in neighbouring Malaysia but part of her heart is still at Kranji and she is determined to find homes for every one of the racecourse’s many abandoned cats.
“We have found homes for 48 and we have around 31 to find homes for,” Seow told Idol Horse before riding a Sunday meeting in Selangor. “We estimate that there were more than 100 cats on the entire Singapore Turf Club property; it is over 130 hectares after all.”
So determined is Seow to find suitable homes for the cats of the Singapore Turf Club that she has set up an Instagram account @kranjicats, which profiles the potential adoptees and shares them with a broad audience.
“Everybody left the stables, the horses left and the place was abandoned so there were a lot of scavenging pigeons and it was hard for the cats because the birds were eating their food,” Seow said. “The cats were becoming more depressed and nervous. They know the horses and the people are gone.”
Capturing some of the more domesticated cats was easy but for the more shy cats it took a team effort from Seow and some former stable staffers to bring them in for help.
“I don’t want them to surrender to the authorities because they could be put down without a good reason,” she said. “So we decided to capture the cats and get them new homes because they are at risk from wild dogs and the lack of food. It wasn’t easy, catching them one-by-one, and then bringing the skittish ones in and caring for them to help change their behaviour.”
Cats are an integral part of stable life around the world, reducing rodents but also as companionship for stable staff and even horses.
“Every cat is important to the stable and for people who work with horses, the cats are also part of our daily life,” she said. “I loved the cats but I couldn’t bring them all home – I already have my hands full with my own – and there were other stable staff could have taken them too, but we could not, so we wanted to make people in Singapore aware in the hope they could find a loving home. I am glad that most of them have got a good home and are settling in. We just have 31 more to go.”
Seow is in the fifth and final year of her apprenticeship. After riding 12 winners following her move to Malaysia midway through 2024, the 32-year-old has nine wins so far in 2025 at a healthy strike rate of 11.39 per cent and is in contention for the Malaysian Racing Association (MRA) apprentice title.
“After this year, once I finish my apprenticeship I will be a professional jockey and let’s see where the adventure takes me next,” said Seow, who is also studying to gain a Diploma in Veterinary Wellness Care in Singapore. “I am still exploring some options, I will further my studies. I want to ride and study. But riding overseas one day is an option.” ∎
