A fabulous five-timer at Sha Tin on Saturday couldn’t dissuade Karis Teetan from his firm view that he has a fight on his hands to match the career-high success of last season.
“This is the strongest bunch of jockeys since I’ve been here,” the Mauritian ace said at the end of a day in which he also guided King Opie to a welcome feature win in the Class 2 Pok Oi Centenary Cup Handicap over 1600m.
Teetan soared to 84 wins and third-place in the premiership last term. He headed into Saturday’s card with what he reckoned were “ok rides” and stuck among a raft of riders with two wins on the board, all looking up at the high-flying Zac Purton and Joao Moreira.
“Things are tough but I’m out there and I’m trying and hopefully I’ll keep getting the support,” he said, aware that the ranks, already bolstered with the talents of Blake Shinn and Lyle Hewiston will, come November, also feature the returning Silvestre de Sousa and Alexis Badel.
“The support I had last season was really good,” Teetan continued.
“This season is very tough. I’m getting rides but not as much quality. I still have a few stables supporting and I’m trying to work hard in the morning but there are a lot of good jockeys around, light jockeys, so things are not easy this season.”
For all of that, Teetan left the track in a more familiar and buoyant position: equal-second in the standings thanks to only his second Hong Kong five-timer, which took his tally to seven, three more than at the same point a year ago and sitting upsides Moreira, right on the heels of Purton.
He did so after lighting up an otherwise low-key card. Teetan had one win on the board at mid-point but completely dominated the back-end, winning the last four races.
The Frankie Lor-trained King Opie’s Cup success followed an earlier Class 4 score on the Tony Millard-trained Fun Times and preceded the Francis Lui-trained More Than This’s Class 3 victory, Winner Supreme’s impressive dirt track score, and King Of Hearts’ driving triumph in the finale.
“I thought I had chances but there were a few horses that were competitive in those races so I couldn’t be too sure,” he said.
- Hong Kong Jockey Club
