Karis Teetan landed his sixth double from the past eight meetings at Happy Valley on Thursday night, teaming up with Douglas Whyte for victories with Shinkansen and Majestic Knight.

Teetan’s brace took him to 35 wins for the season, moving him within 15 of runaway championship leader Zac Purton – who is on a family holiday – and increasing his buffer on third-placed Hugh Bowman – who missed the midweek meeting with suspension – to 12.

“The new year has just started and it’s great to get some winners. Tonight has worked out well and I’m glad I got some winners. I had some decent rides and some good support, so it’s nice,” Teetan said.

“Credit to Douglas and his team. Majestic Knight, when I didn’t lead, he came back under me and when I picked him up, he really responded well.

“I was very impressed – Howdeepisyourlove is a very classy horse and for Majestic Knight to beat him tonight shows how well he is going.”

After Shinkansen was too strong for his rivals in the first section of the Class Four Lark Handicap (1,200m), Majestic Knight justified market support to continue his run of good form with victory in the Class Two Albatross Handicap (1,200m).

Trainer Francis Lui Kin-wai and jockey Vincent Ho Chak-yiu also joined forces for a brace, first taking out the Class Five Mesia Handicap (1,650m) with Cordyceps One before snaring the Class Three Nightjar Handicap (1,650m) courtesy of Gallant Waking.

“He’s improved very slowly. This sire can supposedly handle longer distance but you see all the Pride Of Dubai’s in Hong Kong, they run over 1,200m and they take time to relax,” Lui said after Gallant Waking’s first win at the trip.

Earlier, Harry Bentley’s first ride back from his two-month suspension didn’t unfold as he’d have liked, with Pierre Ng Pang-chi’s Spicy So Smart tailing off a long last after completely losing his action.

“The saddle slipped a little bit, but he did that first up in September – he just kept hopping, hopping,” Ng said.

While Spicy So Smart hampered a couple of gallopers when dropping swiftly back through the field in the second section of the Lark Handicap, John Size-trained four-year-old Beauty Infinity stayed out of trouble before powering to his maiden victory at start two.

“He ran a very promising race last time, he finished off nicely but we knew we were taking on better horses this time,” said jockey Andrea Atzeni. “But he’s obviously improved again and he’s a nice horse.”

While Bentley could only manage a best finish of fourth from his six rides, Ng did taste success later on the card after five-year-old mare Bon’s A Pearla finally prevailed in Hong Kong at start 12.

“She’s always been a tricky one – even for the stables who had her before. We tried everything – every course and distance – but she didn’t like it. Finally, she liked a sprinting race at the Valley,” Ng said of Bon’s A Pearla, who produced a blistering finish to take out the Class Three Sea Eagle Handicap (1,200m) and become the first locally trained female to win in Hong Kong since Lucky Maryknoll in 2021.

Joining Bon’s A Pearla in unleashing an eye-catching finishing burst was the Jamie Richards-trained Super Fast Dragon, who came from near last to take out the Class Four Robin Handicap (1,000m).

“He’s a horse who needs a little bit of luck because of his racing style. He was pretty unlucky on [International Jockeys’ Championship] night and he didn’t have everything go his way that day,” Richards said after Super Fast Dragon broke through at start 11.

Purton, Avdulla holidays ‘not a policy shift’, but there must be a line

“It’s good to get a bit of luck, and like most horses in Hong Kong, they need a little bit of time to adjust.

“He’s getting there now and he was given a good ride [by Lyle Hewitson]. Hopefully, he can go on from there. He’s down at the bottom of Class Four, so he’s going to get another go for sure. He’ll find his rating eventually. The owners have been very patient and very loyal, so I thank them for the support.”