KUALA LUMPUR:  Sep 25, 2022

Former amateur rider and later assistant trainer Ooi Tang Beng seems to have hit the jackpot when he paid a modest sum for an unraced two-year-old at the 2020 New Zealand Ready-To-Run Sale.

With years of experience associated with the king of sports behind him, Ooi picked out a chestnut gelding by Dissident out the Street Cry mare Bella’s Cry for which he secured for just NZ$21,000.

The gelding landed in Malaysia a few months later in early 2021 and was named HAALAND. But it was nearly a year later, after a change of trainer to Ooi Chin Chin, that he finally made his debut in February this year.

After finishing third in his debut, he went on to win his next start. A short let-up and a change of name to ALLIANCE CAPTAIN did not stop him from making further progress.

In fact, ALLIANCE CAPTAIN won his next two starts to complete a hattrick. The gelding was unplaced in his next before bouncing back to win twice in the last three starts.

Ridden for the first time in Lim Aun Kean, ALLIANCE CAPTAIN came from just off the pace to capture the Class 3 – 1175m handicap at Sungei Besi here today. All races today were run on the No. 2 track. 

“Lim settled the horse in a very good position behind the pace with cover and the horse travelled really well,” said trainer Ooi. “The horse is only four-year-old and there is a lot more to come from him as he grows older.”

Lim also expects more to come from the horse. “It’s my first time riding him and I just followed the instructions.”

ALLIANCE CAPTAIN has now earned just over RM90,000 in prizemoney.

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