Top trainer Kan mourned at 84

Five-time champion horse trainer Brian Kan Ping-chee passed away on Saturday night at 84.

Kan's wife said his kidneys were failing since the past few years, and blood was found in his urine.

Kan fell at home two days before his death and was hospitalized, before being allowed to return home Saturday afternoon. He passed away peacefully in his sleep at around 9pm, according to his wife.

"Humans have to die one day, at least he did not die in pain, and we are all relieved for that," she said.

She said their elder son is rushing back from the United Kingdom, but the earliest flight is Friday.

Kan's younger son, barrister Terry Kan Wing-fai, said his father had been suffering from a chronic illness but would not go into detail as his family wants a low-profile manner for the funeral arrangements.

Born in 1937, Kan had been a postman and an auxiliary police officer after dropping out of high school, and emigrated to the UK in 1952, where he worked in a Chinese restaurant near Epsom Downs Racecourse.

The proximity landed him a job as a groom in a stable through jockey Teith Tugan in 1962.

He returned in 1969 and joined the Hong Kong Jockey Club as an assistant trainer. By 1978 he had a stable to his name and trained 844 winners until his retirement in 2003.

Kan possessed a Hong Kong record of over 100 silverwares in his trophy cabinet, including having nurtured five Hong Kong Derby winners.

Kan was keen on helping the younger generation - trainers Dennis Yip Chor-hong, Jimmy Ting Koon-ho and Me Tsui Yu-sak were all once his apprentices.

His retirement in 2003 came after having been a trainer in Hong Kong for 25 years.

An indigenous villager in Sheung Shui, Kan was the chairman of the Sheung Shui Rural Committee from 1988 to 2003 as well as a representative of Heung Yee Kuk. He ran for the Legislative Council elections in 1998 and 2000 but was not elected.

Kan was also brought to court several times. In 1989, he was found guilty of indecently assaulting his Filipino domestic helper and was fined HK$25,000.

Although not that outspoken, Kan occasionally expressed his political views, including opposing the fugitive amendment bill in 2019.

In a statement, the Hong Kong Jockey Club said it was sad to learn of the passing of Kan, whom the club regards as one of the most successful trainers and iconic racing figures in Hong Kong.

Winfried Engelbrecht-Bresges, the club's chief executive, said: "Brian was not only a remarkable trainer with outstanding training records, but also a good teacher with strong commitment to nurture home grown racing talents."