Hong Kong-based Mauritian jockey Karis Teetan cannot wait to test his mettle at Kranji next Friday week.
Teetan is with Joao Moreira the two Hong Kong Jockey Club-licensed jockeys who were granted permission to ride at the Group 2 EW Barker Trophy (1400m) meeting on November 18. Teetan is booked to ride Lim’s Cruiser for Stephen Gray while Moreira will be aboard the Michael Clements-trained Alibi in the handicap feature, but they will also be required to ride in a special race which will be slated as the Hong Kong Trophy race.
South African-trained Teetan, 26, has never ridden in Singapore, let alone visited the Lion City, but he has of course long heard about its horse racing industry, even before he left his previous South African base for Hong Kong in 2013, especially so now – for patriotic reasons.
“I’ve heard of Singapore racing, of course, more so now when Nooresh Juglall has been riding there in the last three seasons,” said Teetan referring to the Kranji-based Mauritian jockey.
“Nooresh was one year after my batch in South Africa. We’ve taken different paths but I often follow his career in Singapore, and I know he’s doing very well.
“I’ve never been to Singapore and I’m really excited to have the opportunity to ride there next Friday.”
In return, Kranji’s exposure to Teetan and enthusiasm to see him pit his skills against our Singapore jockeys would be reciprocal. Most local fans of Hong Kong racing are quite familiar with him, though not as well as Moreira, obviously, but well enough to have spotted him as a regular fixture on the Happy Valley or Sha Tin racecards on Wednesdays and Sundays respectively.
The lightweight jockey (he can ride at 50kgs) enjoyed his best season last year when he finished third to Moreira (47 versus 168), and though he has taken longer to get off the starting blocks this term (currently ninth on eight winners, 26 behind perennial leader Moreira), he often pops up to upstage the likes of Moreira, Zac Purton and Douglas Whyte, like in the Group 3 Sa Sa Ladies’ Purse (1800m) on the Tony Millard-trained Horse Of Fortune last Sunday.
Singapore racegoers will probably also remember Teetan as the rainbow-coloured jockey of Hong Kong’s Super Jockey who gave his rivals, including our very own Super Winner, a real spanking in the Keeneland Korea Sprint (1200m) in Seoul last September.
Teetan, who counts wins in such feature races like the Hong Kong Classic Cup, Hong Kong Chairman’s Trophy, Hong Kong Premier Bowl, said he was fully and happily entrenched in the racing mecca, but was always keen to widen his riding portfolio whenever those one-day international invitations come up.
“My base is Hong Kong and that’s where I intend to ride for as long as possible. It’s one of the most competitive racing centres in the world and you get to ride against the best jockeys in the world,” he said.
“But it’s also great to get a chance to ride overseas at those one-day visits, which are of course subject to the Hong Kong Jockey Club’s approval, and this trip to Singapore opens the door to another country.
“I’ve ridden in South Africa, Zimbabwe, Mauritius, Korea, Macau and Hong Kong, and now I will be able to add Singapore. It’ll be great to catch up with Nooresh, but also to ride against him – and the other top jockeys there.
“At this stage, I only know about the booking on Lim’s Cruiser for Mr Gray. I hope I will get some more decent rides and it would be nice to ride at least one winner.”
Though unconfirmed at this stage, the names of Murrayfield, City Of Kirkwall and Prechagorda have been brought up as possible rides for Teetan.
