Expat Sri Lankan enjoying the ride

When Sri Lankan born Alan Ratnasingham got a call from some of his siblings to say harness racing was big in Australia, it was the start of a love affair that’s now been going strong for 25 years.

“I’d been living in Germany, and they all had trotters. I just loved horses and had tried a few times to get involved, but it was hard to break in,” he said.

“One of my brothers and a sister had migrated over to Australia and after they started telling me there were pacers everywhere here, I moved in 1993.”

And last Sunday (Sept 25) at Cranbourne, Ratnasingham went within a whisker of achieving his first-ever training double. Illawong Danny (Rock N Roll Heaven) got the money at bolters’ odds of 40/1, but stablemate Illawong Phoenix (Heston Blue Chip) just missed out by a half head.

“I’ve had back-to-back wins before but never a double. We were all very happy anyway – my wife Kularb is a great supporter, along with our four children,” he said.

Ratnasingham, who has worked as a Melbourne bus driver for the past 12 years, trains out of the Southern Speedway complex at Oakleigh and prepares his team before heading off to work.

“Sometimes there’s not much light, but the horses are really good,” he said.

“There’s four of five other trainers there and I’m very lucky.”

After growing up with his parents in Sri Lanka, the family decided on a move, and Ratnasingham spent five years in Germany.

“My parents stayed on when I left for Australia, but they have since returned to Sri Lanka,” he said.

“Once I got to Australia, I applied to be part of the Bendigo Training Centre, but I was 17th on their list, and they only took 16 students.

“The manager at the time was John Randles and he told me to not worry as he would talk to Des Hughes at the Gippsland Training Centre at Warragul, which was also starting a training centre.”

In 1997 Ratnasingham was among the first student intake to the Warragul centre, beginning a full time, 12-month course.

“In the mornings, we’d spend time with different trainers and then the afternoons would be all about study. We all learnt a lot as trainers do things in different ways and have their own ideas,” he said.

“After being granted a trainer’s license, the following year I obtained my driver’s license. One of our daughters actually completed the same course in 1998—but when she got married, her harness racing career disappeared!”

Ratnasingham got to know prominent and successful Victorian breeder the late Dr Martin Hartnett, a relationship which led to some of his biggest highlights in the sport.

“After I got to know Martin, we went down to his Nagambie property one day and he told me to pick one out. There were plenty of horses in a paddock,” he said.

“He pointed out a well-bred two-year-old. He told me if I wanted to have a crack, it was mine. The horse was a real handful—he smashed my cart and luckily, I was wearing a safety vest because I would have broken some ribs.

“Eventually we got him calm, and he now races under the name of Illawong Danny. He won at Warragul last year and now he’s had two wins this season—the other one at Yarra Valley.

“I’m only training two and Illawong Phoenix is another of Martin’s breed and probably the best horse I’ve had over the years with four wins and 20 places. There’s been some other nice ones like Empire Pete and Run Myles Run.”

by Terry Gange, for Harnesslink