Teetan goes to HK Derby with 4 wins
HONG KONG A Happy Valley quartet, crowned by exciting young sprinter Howdeepisyourlove’s blistering victory on Wednesday, has fuelled Karis Teetan’s confidence.
He is chasing successive BMW Hong Kong Derby (2,000m) victories when he partners Flagship Warrior at Sha Tin on Sunday.
Taking his tally to 35 for the season – his other successes being Cable Speed, Raging Blaze and Wood On Fire – the “Mauritian Magician” revelled in a dominating spree just four days from the Derby, which he won last season aboard Romantic Warrior.
Having missed a large portion of the early season because of illness, Teetan was at his vintage best at the city circuit.
“Of course, it’s nice to have a four-timer. I thought I had some decent rides tonight and it’s not often in Hong Kong that you have nights like this when everything goes to plan. It’s good to build some confidence going into an important weekend,” he said.
Teetan, 32, will team up with Flagship Warrior for the fourth time.
He partnered trainer David Hayes’ young stayer to a spectacular first-up victory over 1,200m, before finishing 13th in the Hong Kong Classic Mile (1,600m) in January and an improved fifth in the Hong Kong Classic Cup (1,800m) in February.
“I must say his preparation has gone very well,” he said. “In the Mile, he travelled very hard and he couldn’t finish his race. In the Cup, we gave him a chance to finish off and he finished his race really good. If he can pull a draw, it’s going to be a big help with this horse.”
Jockey Vincent Ho moved to within a win of reaching 500 career victories in Hong Kong with a swooping win on the Danny Shum-trained G One Excellent. – HKJC
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