Defeater and Pantong have winning credentials

Trainer Tiang Kim Choi may not be running high in the premiership, but he is doing pretty well with his horses.

One of the stars in his stable could be the four-year-old named Defeater.

The son of Unite And Conquer was the star at the morning trackwork on April 21 when, on a yielding track, he ran out the 600m in a breezy 38sec. That, he did, after some trotting to loosen up those muscles.

Jockey Shafiq Rizuan was up in the saddle and the former two-time Singapore champion apprentice jockey would have been pleased with the four-year-old gelding.

He was in the irons when Defeater finished third to Mega Crusader in a Class 4A event (1,275m) on Jan 17, and also when he was second to Imperial Genie last time in a Class 4B race (1,200m) on April 11.

Defeater is no slouch and has won four times for owner Yee Kin Kong.

The Australian-bred’s victories were all over sprints, and he will enjoy the 1,200m trip he has to contend with on April 25.

But he will have to fight for his feed, and the galloper who could pressure him the most in the Class 4B contest could be Pantong.

While hardly what one would call a headliner, Pantong comes from a stable which has been churning out winners like a chaff cutter.

He hails from 2024 Malaysia champion trainer Simon Dunderdale’s yard, and the six-year-old turned in a very smart workout on the training track.

Sent out for his gallop, he ran the 600m in 37.8sec after some serious trotting too.

That piece of work would have set him up nicely for the meet-up with Defeater.

Before being flown to Malaysia to continue his racing, Pantong had nine outings in Australia where he raced as Prince Of Wales. In total, the son of Pendragon recorded three seconds and three thirds.

At his new home in Kuala Lumpur, he has had 10 races for one win, a second and four thirds.

Class 4 looks to be his comfort zone. With that nice piece of work under his girth, expect Pantong to be involved at the finish.

Elsewhere on the nine-race meeting on April 25, the other Class 4B sprint (1,200m) will bring together a competitive field and knowledgeable racegoers will be paying special attention to two last-start winners.

They are Lucky Eight One and Bull Fight.

Both turned in good gallops on the drizzly morning at Sungai Besi, and they have the ability to continue from where they left off.

Another one from Dunderdale’s assembly line, Bull Fight would have given jockey Kaidan Brewer a good feeling when running the 600m in 38.3sec.

The four-year-old son of Bull Point has won three races from just a dozen starts.

His last win was on April 11.

That day, under Brewer, he scored a good win in a Class 4B event (1,020m).

Bull Fight opened his Malaysian account in a Class 5B race (1,200m) on May 31, 2025. It was also his first and only run at the now-defunct Penang Turf Club.

The Pavitra Gallop Stable-owned gelding had one more start on June 15, when he finished fifth in a Class 5A race back at Sungai Besi.

What followed was a lengthy eight month-break and, on Feb 28, he returned to racing on a winning note in a Class 5A contest (1,1,50m).

Right now, Bull Fight is in a good place and, come April 25, his fans could send him off as the event’s top pick.

Pushing him all the way will be Lucky Eight One, who did a fluent workout and clocked 37.1sec under Shafiq.

Prepared by Winson Cheng Han Yong, the son of Spieth won on his Malaysian debut on March 28.

That was in a Class 4B race (1,200m) with Shafiq on board.

The six-year-old Australian-bred looks to be holding that last-start winning form and a racing double could be forthcoming.

brian@sph.com.sg