How Karis Teetan’s cane-cutting father saved enough money to make him a jockey: ‘We grew up with nothing’

Karis Teetan left Mauritius as a 13-year-old after his father saved enough money from cutting sugar cane in his spare time to send him to a famed jockeys school in South Africa, and the rest is history.

Karis Teetan has earned fame and fortune as one of the leading jockeys in Hong Kong, but it couldn’t be further away from his dirt poor upbringing.

The lightweight Mauritian is considered one of the most positive people in Hong Kong racing and it’s easy to see why when you learn of his humble childhood, which saw him leave home at the age of 13 to pursue a career in the saddle.

Teetan will jet into Melbourne to ride $26 chance Coco Sun in the Group 1 Caulfield Cup on Saturday, but he has beaten the odds his entire life.

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“We grew up with nothing really,” Teetan told Racenet.

“I left Mauritius when I was 13, the only thing I was doing in Mauritius was running away from school and riding horses.

“It has been a great journey.

“At that time, Dad was cutting sugar cane for a living, which you don’t get much for, right?

“He would go and work in the afternoon to get extra cash to be able to take me to a riding club, which he had to put money aside for me to be able to get lessons there.

“I was into riding, so I went to South Africa at 13 for the jockey school there and the rest is history really, I ended up in Hong Kong from there where we have the best racing in the world.

“Without Dad doing that, all these things wouldn’t have been able to happen.”

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The famed South African Jockey Academy in Durban has churned out the likes of Douglas Whyte, Felix Coetzee, Robbie Fradd and Basil Marcus.

Now a mainstay of the Hong Kong jockeys roster, Teetan, 34, is in a position to repay the favour to his parents, who are still his biggest supporters.

“Mum and Dad don’t work anymore, I built them a house in Mauritius and they are very happy, we are at a stage now where we can look after them with travel and those things,” Teetan said.

“They have done a lot for me, so it is time for me to look after them, they are very proud of what I have achieved in Hong Kong.

“We still speak every time before I go to the races, it is something I love to do.

“They will find a way to watch me in the Caulfield Cup, I am sure of that.”

Four @HKJC_Racing jockeys booked for the G1 Caulfield Cup (19 Oct), @MelbRacingClub:

🇦🇺 @zpurton (LAND LEGEND)
🇦🇺 @BenThompson2102 (SAYEDATY SADATY)
🇮🇹 @Atzenijockey (ZARDOZI)
🇲🇺 @KarisTeetan (COCO SUN)

A #WorldPool event. pic.twitter.com/1N9ccy0zkB

— World Pool (@WorldPool) October 8, 2024

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Teetan last rode in Australia in 2019 and is keen to land some big-time silverware after winning the likes of the Hong Kong Derby and QE II Cup aboard Romantic Warrior.

“Australian racing is so close to Hong Kong racing because there are so many horses that come here, so I am always watching the videos to do the form,” he said.

“To be able to go down there and ride in the big races, which I have always watched, will be special.

“It is good for me to get my name out there a bit as well in those big carnival days, because there are always lightweight horses in those big handicaps like the Melbourne Cup.

“We all want to ride in these type of races, so thanks to the Club for allowing us to leave Hong Kong for the day because I want to be able to say one day that I won one of these big ones one day.

“You never know what can happen in the future, so I am really grateful for the support from (Coco Sun’s trainers) the McEvoys.

Originally published as How Karis Teetan’s cane-cutting father saved enough money to make him a jockey: ‘We grew up with nothing’