Despite being caught wide all the way, Montana Flash produced just enough in the home straight to win a Class 4B – 1400m handicap at Sungai Besi today to give new trainer Hamsha Aloysius his first win since getting his ‘A’ licene on Jun 17.

Since coming under Aloysius' banner, Montana Flash has been inching towards the winner's rostrum, finishing third the first time and then second last time out.

The Star Turn galloper won three races with trainer Sivan Veerapan when Aloysius was his assistant trainer.

"My horses has been running without winning. It was only a matter of time before I clock in my first winner," said Aloysius.

"I want to thank the Selangor Turf Club for allowing me to train here and the owners for standing by me since Day One."

"It's nice to have a winner," said winning jockey Oscar Chavez. Montana Flash was his fourth winner since returning to ride in Malaysia a couple of months ago.

"The horse travelled well and we went around the corner nicely. The ground on the outside was a little bit better so I didn't mind having to travel wide."

Legacy Fortune led the field on settling down and at the top of the straight, kicked away to a clear three-length lead.

Montana Flash  went after the leader approaching the 200m and hit the front 100m out. The well-backed Commander flashed home in the closing stages but Montana Flash held on to win by three quarters of a length.

The day went even better for the trainer- jockey partnership. They doubled the score three races later when they won with Make You Happy, who broke the duck in his 17th start in the Open Maiden event over 1600m.

Chavez had the Zoustar gelding in a handy position early.

When the two leaders Talkintalkin Power and Banker's Pair Nine broke away, Chavez stuck to his guns and had Make You Happy where he wanted.

Banker's Pair Nine raced past a tiring Talkintalkin Power at the 400m but soon after Make You Happy went after him on his inside.

Make You Happy  hit the front at the 200m, then staved off a determined challenge by Imperial Ripple in the closing stages to win by a head.

Aloysius started from scratch as a syce with the late legendary trainer Laurie Laxon in June 2014, before joining Lee Freedman, Mark Walker and, finally, Donna Logan.

With the impending cessation of racing in Singapore, he moved to Malaysia to work as assistant trainer to Sivan in November 2023.

After completing his National Service (NS), the Mechanical Engineering diploma holder took on many different jobs, and was looking for greener pastures until a mutual friend introduced him to racing.

"I worked in different jobs before racing. I was in the engineering field after my NS, then joined the shipping industry with the Port of Singapore Authority. After that, I worked at the airport," he said.

"But I realised all that weren't for me. I was changing jobs because I didn't know what I wanted. I was about 29 then (in 2014) and I told myself I wanted to pivot to another area and stop 'floating' around.

"I knew an ex-jockey and he introduced me to racing. I didn't know racing at all, but I thought I'd try, so I joined Laurie as a syce.

Aloysius has taken over most of Sivan's string with 19 horses currently under his care.