Memorable Moments! Karis Teetan and David Ferraris
Karis Teetan arrived with some handy character references, had already made inroads at trackwork with his work ethic and attitude – and even brought a cool nickname with him: the Mauritian Magician.
But as far as making a big first impression, it’s hard to top winning at your first race ride in Hong Kong in front of more than 60 000 screaming fans.
“That was an amazing feeling,” Teetan said after his win on Sunday on the David Ferraris-trained Amazing Always. “The crowd were going wild, they already knew my name and were yelling it out and I threw my goggles into the crowd. I promise you I will never forget that moment.”
Ferraris, who is a South African, had no hesitation putting the 23-year-old on Amazing Always, with the young jockey having impressed in a short stint as stable rider for his father, legendary Johannesburg handler Ormond Ferraris.
“I asked my dad and he told me he is a nice kid, he is a lightweight but he is strong,” Ferraris said, comparing the youngster’s positive and polite attitude to apprentices of old – and in particular, one well-spoken young rider from the past named Douglas Whyte. “I know he is young, but he is like the old-school apprentices. The respect he shows, like Douglas Whyte was at that age. And that’s what you need here, you can’t rub trainers up the wrong way.”
Having come through the ranks of the South African Jockey Academy in Durban, Teetan said he looked up to Whyte and Felix Coetzee – not only for their on-track exploits, but their off-track behaviour.
“The Academy drums it into you, you go to school there – they teach you so many things there other than riding; like respect and self-discipline. If you want to be a professional you must show respect. You can’t just rock up to the owners and not show respect. When it is time to work, it’s time to work. I strive to respect those above me.
“You look at those South African guys that have come here like Douglas and Felix – they were well-spoken, and we’ve all looked up to them and learned.”
Ferraris said it was a minor miracle that Amazing Always had been back this early after the four-year-old had struggled with a severe quarter crack last season in his left front hoof.
“Most of the credit must go to the farrier Raymond Iles, it was mind-blowing farrier work,” Ferraris said.
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