Racing personality Tung Biu was yesterday granted a trainer's licence for next season by the Macau Jockey Club (MJC) - and champion trainer Ivan Allan is his first owner.
Tung, or 'Uncle Bill', is compulsive viewing on ATV for hundreds of thousands of racing fans.
But his arrival at Taipa is more than a huge publicity coup for the MJC. Tung intends to take things seriously, and expects to start with a team of 40 horses.
Allan said last night: 'Bill has been a good friend to me over the years and the least I can do is support him.
'I haven't found the right horse yet, but I'll be sending him a right one.' Tung, 64, means business. He has already signed up the 28-year-old former New Zealand trainer Grant Old as his assistant, top local racing journalist and broadcaster Carlos Wu as his form expert, and nine-time Irish champion jockey Johnny Roe as a racing consultant.
Tung said yesterday: 'I'd like to thank Ivan for showing me this support and I can only say that I, and the rest of my team, will be doing the very best we can.'
