Ivan Allan, three-times champion trainer in Hong Kong and an icon in his native Singapore, died yesterday, aged 68, after a long battle with illness.
Allan, who died in the Lion City, was a dominant force for many years there and in Malaysia, winning the champion's title on seven occasions. He moved to Hong Kong in 1992, where he quickly became an equally irresistible force, winning the trainers' championship three times.
He won 544 races in all and some HK$550 million in stake money, but it was in the majors that Allan took his greatest pleasure and where he shone the brightest, winning 36 local and international Group races during his 12-year career at Sha Tin and preparing six Horse Of the Year titleholders.
He shocked the racing world by announcing his retirement at the end of the 2003-04 season, two years short of the mandatory retirement age.
Jockey Club chief executive Winfried Engelbrecht-Bresges paid tribute to Allan yesterday. 'I am very sad because he was a very good personal friend and one of the greatest horsemen that I have ever encountered,' he said. 'He was an outstanding horseman who has made invaluable contribution to bringing Hong Kong racing to a world-class level. He was a keen advocate of international racing and, while based at Sha Tin, his reputation in the big races, particularly international races, was unmatched. On behalf of the Hong Kong Jockey Club, I would like to extend our deepest condolences to his family.'
Champion jockey Douglas Whyte, who rode for Allan frequently and was his retained rider for a time, said: 'It's a sad day for racing to lose one of its great ambassadors. He was one of the cleverest and best trainers I've ever worked with - a hard boss, but fair and a great planner of a race. He always knew where he was going with his horses and what he was doing, especially when it came to the big ones. If he set a horse for a race and it had a bit of luck on the day, he was very good at getting it right. My condolences to those he left behind.'