Maybe it was appropriate that a horse like How Speedy - winless after 17 frustrating starts going into yesterday - provided a drought-breaking win for jockey Karis Teetan, whose late slump last term and slow start to his second season have been in stark contrast to the electrifying first three months of his rookie campaign.
How Speedy had racked up seven seconds and had finished in the top four in all but four of his race starts yet remained a maiden, but Teetan had him well covered for a run of outs.
The Mauritian came into yesterday having not won in 40 starts this season. Last season Teetan hit the ground running, notching a winner with his first Hong Kong ride and racking up 16 winners before the start of December.
Teetan is now hoping How Speedy's convincing Class Four win can get the lightweight jockey back on track.
"I feel better getting that first winner out of the way and my confidence will just get stronger now," he said. "Hopefully I can build momentum. I think I've been getting the opportunities and sometimes you just need that spark."
A former leading apprentice and rider in South Africa, Teetan had sought counsel from one of that country's former greats - Felix Coetzee, a Hong Kong riding legend - on how best to deal with the ebbs and flows of riding in such a unique racing environment.
"I spoke to him before I got here, and again in the off-season," Teetan said. "I had a great start to last season, but you have to deal with the ups and downs.
"Going through a whole season I have learnt a lot. I have spoken to many jockeys who have been here, but Felix in particular was good. He just said, 'Keep your head up and keep going when things aren't going your way,' and the way things have gone so far this season, I am so grateful I had that conversation."
How Speedy's trainer, Tony Millard, was thankful for the patience of the horse's owner John Chan Cho-chak, a former Hong Kong Jockey Club chairman, and said his biggest concern was that the horse would end up in Class Three without winning a race.
"He is a pretty moderate horse, so I am extremely happy for the owner because it is these types of guys who you can build a stable around. Mr Chan has been with me since day one," he said.
Teetan said the key to How Speedy was realising the six-year-old had an incredibly short sprint. "I don't think he is a bad little horse," Teetan said.
"But he would always shoot away to win the race, and just get grabbed in the last 50m. I just thought I had to sit a little bit longer on the horse. I think that is the key with him - he only has one kick and it comes in a short burst. You can't get too far out of your ground."
