Karis Teetan is closing in on Hong Kong champ Zac Purton
Red-hot Karis Teetan recorded a treble at Sha Tin on Saturday to move within one win of current champion Zac Purton at the top of the Hong Kong jockeys’ log.
The three victories gave the popular Mauritian rider an amazing 10 wins in a week.
He was in the No 1 enclosure five times last Sunday at Sha Tin, then twice on Wednesday at Happy Valley.
Purton managed one winner on Saturday, taking his total to 17 and keeping him just ahead of Teetan on 16.
In third place on 11 wins is local rider Vincent Ho, who booted home four winners on Saturday.
There is a five-way tie for fourth place on the log, with six winners, includes South Africa’s Grant van Niekerk and Aussie Chad Schofield, son of former South African rider Glyn Schofield.
Teetan opened the Sha Tin meeting with a quick double, as Strathallan and Willie Way took the first two races.
Teetan then came back to close the meeting when Invincible Fresh just scraped in by a nose over Lady First, ridden by Van Niekerk.
The latter didn’t have the luckiest day, with another second and two thirds, but no win.
Purton was victorious on Victory Boys, but his day didn’t end well as he picked up a two-meeting suspension for careless riding on Comfort Life in the 10th and last race.
The star of the day, however, was 28-year-old Ho, who landed the first four-timer of his career.
In a sign of Ho’s development as a jockey, he could not help but be disappointed after the last race, in which he rode beaten favourite Noble Steed to a disappointing fourth.
Before that, Ho produced one of the best rides of the day on Ugly Warrior. He was forced to change plans mid-race and drop back in the field due to a hot early tempo, before accelerating late to grab the decision in a group finish.
With the departure of a number of senior jockeys from the Hong Kong riding ranks at the end of last season, Ho has been able to step up, finding himself consistently riding winning chances.
The Hong Kong local said that factor, along with experience picked up during a short stint in England during the Hong Kong off-season, had contributed to his strong start this year.
“My mind is a lot better, my horsemanship is better after England, I have a lot more confidence because I am training a lot, I am fit,” he said.
“Of course, the main thing is the horses, the horses are all going very well.”– additional reporting