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Singapore horse owner Dr Tan Kai Chah died of a heart attack at the age of 68 on the island of Hainan in China on Sunday morning.

Better known as Dr KC Tan, the world-famous liver transplant surgeon has been a racehorse owner in the last two decades or so, the most famous horse being 2009 Emirates Singapore Derby and Singapore Four-Year-Old Challenge Triple Crown winner Jolie's Shinju and 2014 Queen Elizabeth II Cup winner Wild Geese.

Dr Tan's purple and yellow checked colours were also carried to many victories further afield in Malaysia, Australia, Ireland, England, France, Japan, Hong Kong, Dubai and New Zealand. In Singapore, the ownership was registered under the aptly-named Hippocrates Stable.

The doctor's sudden demise comes only four months after a colleague of his, Dr Omie Rangabashyam, also a former horse owner at Kranji and whom Dr Tan shared a few horses with, also passed away from heart attack in India.

Japanese trainer Hideyuki Takaoka, who prepared Jolie's Shinju, fondly remembers the "patriotic" reason he was given the smart Japanese-bred filly to train.

"KC transferred Jolie's Shinju from Michael Clements because he said, as a Japanese trainer, I would know how to get the best out of a Japanese filly," he said.

"Of course, it was no disrespect to Michael as she came to me in great shape, and won a few races (three) for him, but KC just had this thinking I could do that. I'm not sure if that is true, but she's done very well for us.

"KC didn't have any horse with me for some time, but we still kept in touch. I'm very shocked to hear the news, it's (trainer) Daniel Meagher who told me this morning.

"As an owner, he always enjoyed coming to the races and would be there to lead in his winners with his friends. He liked to discuss about his horses, make a few suggestions, but never pushed strongly for any race."

That spirit of cooperation was also prevalent in his occupation in the medical field.

Dr Tan was visiting Hainan on a business trip to run the first Singapore-operated medical centre on the island in southern China, according to the Asian American Medical Group. He was the executive chairman of the Singapore-based medical group, which includes the Asian American Liver Centre, a clinic in Gleneagles Hospital where he practised.

Even though Dr Tan was taken up with his professional obligations in Hainan, the racing bug never left him. Though he had scaled down on his horse ownership interests, he still had five horses at Kranji spread between James Peters (Wind Of Dubai, Dragon Sands and Asgard Massif, a son of Jolie's Shinju) and Steven Burridge (Tiger Leap and Oud Wood).

"He's been in Hainan for 18 months, but I've been talking to him regularly for a weekly report. I actually just spoke to him last week about Tiger Leap, and he was bright as a button," said Burridge who also trained Wild Geese for him.

"It's terrible, he was so young, and he died in the line of business. It's John Sadler, who trained a few horses for him in Melbourne, who told me about the shocking news, just before (Dr Tan's racing manager) Mick Lockett told me.

"I was introduced to him through Mick in 2004 and we've had good success together, namely Wild Geese in the QEII Cup and Dark Matter who won twice in Dubai (2012).

"Even when Mick went to Michael Freedman, KC always had horses with me in the last couple of years.

"He was a tranquil owner who never interfered with the training and did the right thing by the horse."

Peters also agreed Dr Tan was the type of owner every trainer wished they could have in their team.

"Dr Tan's been a big supporter of mine from the first day I started training. I'm very grateful to him, it's a big loss not to just me, but to the whole racing community here in Singapore and even around the world where he had horses, like Australia and UK," said the English handler.

"He was a very straightforward owner, very easy to train for. He made a plan with Mick and we carried it out as a team, he never put any pressure.

"I last spoke to him when Wind Of Dubai won, we would exchange the usual congratulations.

"I'm very shocked and sad he has passed away. My sympathies go to his close family, his wife and daughter."

One jockey who is indebted to Dr Tan for launching his riding career in Singapore was A'Isisuhairi 'Harry' Kasim.

"Dr Tan gave me a lot of support when I first came to Singapore. He's the one who got my career going," said the Malaysian jockey.

"He gave me my first owner Kobe Top Gun (December 16, 2012) and gave me a win in the Group 2 Queen Elizabeth II Cup with Wild Geese. I was also kicking a lot of winners like Dark Pulse and Devil's Cut for him then.

"I was always proud to wear these Hippocrates colours, especially at my first couple of years in Singapore. I even rode Wild Geese in the SIA Cup (Singapore Airlines International Cup in 2014), when not many owners would have supported a local apprentice in such a big race, but he had no issue with that.

"I was quite shocked when I heard he passed this morning. We haven't seen him in person for a while because of the COVID-19 situation, and he's also dropped a lot in the number of horses he owns, but he was a big owner last time.

"We have lost one of the key owners in Singapore racing, with Jolie's Shinju his biggest star. Singapore racing will miss him, it's a big loss and I will never forget him for what he has done to my career."

But without the shadow of a doubt, the one person who knows Dr Tan the best and was the most shaken by his death was Lockett, who now works for Peters.

"It's very tough to talk about it," said the senior track rider and former jockey.

"I was lucky enough to meet KC shortly after arriving in Singapore over 10 years ago. I met him as an owner and we became very, very good friends.

"A lot of people remember him for Jolie's Shinju, but he was so much more. He was an owner and, on a smaller scale, a breeder, who lived for racing.

"There are not too many owners who have had success in owning or breeding winners in Singapore, Dubai, Hong Kong, Australia, Japan, New Zealand, England, France, Ireland, France and his country of birth, Malaysia.

"In the racing industry, he was very well respected. He was the first several jockeys or trainers would get an expert opinion on for any medical issue.

"I could go on and on, I don't know of anyone who would have a bad word to say about him.

"He was a man who cared for and saved so many lives over the years, gone far too early. I feel deeply for all family and friends."

But it was of course outside of the racing realm that the Malaysian-born surgeon is better remembered for his invaluable contributions to the medical world.

Already applauded for his ground-breaking liver transplant operations performed in UK where he practised in the mid-80s to mid-90s, he pioneered living donor liver transplants (LDLT), of which he has carried out around 240 in Singapore.

The highest-profile of them saw him make headlines in 2002 when he successfully performed a life-saving liver transplant on former actress Andrea De Cruz, who suffered liver failure after taking slimming pills. He also treated Johor Sultan Ibrahim Iskandar's late son, who died of liver cancer in 2015, coincidentally also on December 5.

Tributes have flowed from the De Cruz and the Sultan's family as well as other well-wishers.

Dr Tan is survived by his wife and daughter.

The Singapore Turf Club takes this opportunity to express its deepest condolences to the bereaved family.