Teetan bounces out of Valley fall and into Gold Cup battle: ‘there’s no pressure’

There will be an element of pressure on Karis Teetan when he heads out aboard Romantic Warrior for Sunday’s Group One Citi Hong Kong Gold Cup (2,000m) at Sha Tin, but it will be nothing compared to the heat the Mauritian jockey experienced at Happy Valley on Wednesday.

Speared into the turf when his mount, Sight Spirit, went amiss rounding the first turn in race eight, Teetan somehow avoided injury in a fall he admits “could have been really nasty”.

“I’m good, no problem,” said Teetan, who rode in the race that followed the fall. “It was a lucky escape when you look at the way the horse fell. It could have been really nasty.”

It certainly puts things into perspective ahead of Romantic Warrior’s showdown with Golden Sixty, where the expectation will be on Teetan to win the race aboard a galloper who destroyed top-class opposition under James McDonald in December’s Group One Hong Kong Cup (2,000m).

Teetan is no stranger to being jocked off top-line gallopers – think Mr Stunning and Able Friend, among others – and after McDonald partnered Romantic Warrior to two wins from two starts while the Mauritian was sidelined with a thyroid condition, there is always the possibility the Kiwi – or another big name – could again step in.

Trainer Danny Shum Chap-shing and owner Peter Lau Pak-fai have not wavered in their confidence in Teetan so far, however, and the jockey says it is more excitement than pressure he feels ahead of Sunday’s contest.

“There’s no pressure. There’s just more confidence in my horse now at the 2,000m,” Teetan said.

“Of course, we respect Golden Sixty. He’s won this race before, and he’s a very good horse. I think it’s going to be a great race, but Romantic Warrior is going back to his distance now, so he should be more in his comfort zone.”

Romantic Warrior is looking to turn the tables on Golden Sixty after finishing second behind the two-time Horse of the Year in last month’s Group One Stewards’ Cup (1,600m) in what was the pair’s first meeting.

Romantic Warrior returns to the distance of all of his biggest wins, with Hong Kong Derby and Group One QE II Cup victories under Teetan sitting alongside the Hong Kong Cup on the five-year-old’s CV, and his jockey expects things to be reasonably straight forward from barrier six.

“Danny has just said to me that we’ll keep it simple, let him come out and he’s got the natural speed to settle in the first four,” Teetan said.

“I think there are two horses who look like they’ll race pretty handy – Money Catcher and Ka Ying Star – so if we’re one back behind then we’re happy.

“We have in our minds we need to at least get the first run on Golden Sixty – get away from him a bit. If we expect the race to be a canter and sprint, then he’s just going to walk over us, so that’s definitely going to be at the back of my mind.”

Teetan partners the David Hayes-trained Flagship Warrior in the afternoon’s other feature, the Hong Kong Classic Cup (1,800m), and will be hoping for a significantly sharper pace than what was dished up when the pair travelled at the back of the field throughout a slowly run Classic Mile.

“Anybody who looks at the Classic Mile, you can look at the race over and over but you’re so confused because the form just doesn’t work,” Teetan said of the first leg of the four-year-old series.

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“I believe some horses in the race didn’t have a chance to prove themselves because of the pace.

“I think Flagship Warrior is a horse who’s got ability and definitely has an engine, but it’s going to be tough again from barrier 10. The poor horse, since he’s been in Hong Kong, he’s drawn 14, 14 and 10 in his three runs.”

Teetan won the 2015 Classic Cup on the John Size-prepared Thunder Fantasy from gate 11.

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