13-year-old Isabelle Lonjuing Sayeed from Sabah is grabbing headlines by becoming the world’s youngest racehorse trainer.
It was reported that the young Malaysian from Penampang recently managed to obtain a license as a professional trainer and stable agent.
The teenager received the recognition from The Royal Sabah Turf Club (RSTC) and she also managed to beat the record of Bailey Rogerson, who started her professional career in New Zealand at the age of sixteen. The Director of Racing at RSTC, John Gorton, granted her the license on 26th November.
Isabelle, who is the daughter of polo player Adil Ghulam, started riding since she was five-years-old at Glenora Stables in Kinarut, Sabah. The teenager stated, “I am humbled to be the youngest licensed horse trainer in the world. I know the path is not easy, but I am ready to meet the challenges ahead.”
That’s not all, she is also an accomplished polo player handicapped by the Sabah Polo Association, and is currently the captain of El Venato Polo Team, which is Sabah’s first female polo team. She also took lessons at the KL Academy of Polo with Peter Abisheganaden, who she sees as a mentor, earlier this year.
It was reported that Susan Douglas, who is her instructor, taught her about all aspects of stable and horse management, and racehorse training when she was preparing to take the trainer’s test with RSTC. Susan stated, “In addition to owning an ILS Stable Horse, Isabelle is also recognised as a race starter, obstacle tester and nutritionist, which is a tough challenge as the youngest racehorse trainer in the world.”
Isabelle is scheduled to continue her training with US champion coach Bob Baffert in the country next summer. Impressive right? She has definitely made our nation proud with her achievements and we hope that she will keep on striving.
Sources: Sabah Daily News, Utusan Borneo.
