Karis Teetan is looking to the future at the Sha Tin meeting on Sunday. He takes the ride on the Tony Millard-trained Nassa (120lb), a high-class South African import making a delayed Hong Kong debut.
“It will be very interesting, he’s a really nice horse,” Teetan said of the four-year-old who was scratched from his intended debut back in December due to slight lameness in his off-fore. The Dynasty colt will break from gate nine in the Tolo Harbour Handicap.
“I was supposed to ride him when he got scratched but they had a little setback with him, and he was going pretty nicely then. I trialled him a week ago and he trialled really nicely underneath me; he’s settled down better and he’s stronger and slimmer now.”
Nassa’s efforts in South Africa included a close third to Noah From Goa in the G1 Cape Guineas (1600m) for previous handler Brett Crawford.
“I used to work for the trainer he was with over there and he said to me that this is a really smart horse,” Teetan added. “He will improve for the race, he’s definitely going to get better. I expect he’ll fly home, it’s a good race to start and from there he’s going to kick on.”
The 10-race card will also see the Chris So-trained three-year-old Bravo Watchman (124lb), the mount of Joao Moreira, attempt to maintain a perfect record as he aims for a third win in the Class 3 Sha Tin Hoi Handicap (1200m).
And in the opener, another three-year-old, Fantastic Eight (133lb), will attempt to make it two wins from as many career starts when he faces 13 rivals in the Class 4 Castle Peak Bay Handicap (1200m).
“Fantastic Eight did very well last time, he had a good draw and he’s a straightforward horse,” jockey Derek Leung said of the Yiu-trained runner. “This time, hopefully, he can be very handy and we can try to go forward again. It doesn’t matter to him where he is in the race as long as he’s comfortable in that position. In the morning, he’s kept on improving.”
That opener is due off at 1pm while the concluding Class 3 Yan Chau Tong Handicap (1800m) is scheduled to start at 5.45pm.
