Karis Teetan tasted G1 Chairman’s Sprint Prize (1200m) glory with Mr Stunning in 2020 and he is hoping for another stroke of magic aboard Hong Kong debutant Little Brose in this year’s HK$22 million contest.

The Australian import will be the youngest horse in the race as a three-year-old, but he is already among the field’s most accomplished contenders having landed the G1 Blue Diamond Stakes (1200m) as a two-year-old last February.

While realistic about the task in hand, Teetan reports the colt to have acclimatised well to life in the city now with David Hayes and is optimistic he can deliver on the promise he has shown so far.

“It just shows everyone must think pretty highly of the horse to go for a task like that,” Teetan said. “Of course it’s going to be tough for him, but when I sit on him he gives me a good feeling. I trialled him last week and I was really happy with his work. He comes to Hong Kong having won the Blue Diamond so he has the ability.

“Going to a Group 1 is going to be hard but I think he’s well prepared for the race. With Lucky Sweynesse not being in there it looks wide open among the Hong Kong horses and anything can happen. If he gets a good draw I think he’s going to run a good race.

“I got to know him a lot when I trialled him at Happy Valley because they put the blinkers on him and he was a bit keen. I told David as soon as I jumped off him to take them off him. He feels like he wants to be ridden just where he’s comfortable. I don’t think he’s a horse who wants to be ridden for speed. He’s got a good finish.”

Teetan, who spent last weekend rubbing shoulders with a different kind of athletic elite at the Shanghai Grand Prix, was one of few people unperturbed by the persistent thunderstorms at Sha Tin on Tuesday morning.

“It’s very strange weather,” he said. “It looks like these thunderstorms will be around all week, so it all depends how much rain we have on the day. We’re very blessed with Sha Tin, it drains really quickly, so we’ll need a lot of rain to get a soft track. Running in Australia, my horse will have run on tracks with more give in them than in Hong Kong.”

While there is reason to think Little Brose could handle soft conditions, Teetan believes it will pose a significant question mark for his former ride Romantic Warrior as he goes in search of a third consecutive G1 FWD QEII Cup (2000m).

He said: “These conditions will be tricky for him, definitely, because he’s never done it on soft ground before. If it does rain it will make it interesting for him, but at the end of the day those good horses often find a way to win.”