Karis Teetan has described conditions in Dubai as “very scary”, telling Idol Horse his family is stuck in a hotel with “missiles flying everywhere”, as a group of 26 people connected to the Hong Kong Jockey Club remain stranded after regional missile strikes disrupted air travel and damaged major airports.
The group includes Teetan, trainer Chris So Wai-yin, members of their immediate families, the owners of Sing Dragon and HKJC staff.
“There are 26 in total,” HKJC Head of Racing Andrew Harding said. “It includes Karis, Chris, their family members, stable staff, owners and some of our HKJC employees and broadcasting staff.”
The wider aviation disruption followed a wave of airspace closures across parts of the Middle East after the U.S. and Israel attacked Iran, and Iran fired missiles across the region, with flight tracking services showing commercial traffic effectively halted over the United Arab Emirates at points and major hub airports forced to suspend or curtail operations.
Harding said the HKJC had made direct contact with everyone in the group and moved to secure accommodation and medical support.
“We’ve established communication with everyone. We have all of their details and know exactly where they are,” Harding said.
“We’ve engaged our health services provider so that if anyone requires assistance, we can provide that. We’ve also extended their hotel reservations to ensure they have certainty around accommodation.”
Harding said the club was monitoring the situation and reviewing options, but that expert advice at present was to stay put.
“We are constantly monitoring the situation and assessing what is possible,” he said.
“At the moment, the best advice from the experts we’re relying upon is for them to remain where they are and wait for further developments. If a viable option becomes available, we’ll act on it.”
The disruption has immediate racing implications in Hong Kong, with Teetan unavailable for midweek riding duties at Happy Valley.
“Karis won’t be declared for Wednesday. We hope airspace may reopen in time for him to return, but at this stage he won’t be declared,” Harding said.
The unfolding situation has also cast uncertainty over the upcoming Dubai World Cup meeting at Meydan, scheduled for March 28, 2026, with ongoing airspace and airport disruptions potentially complicating travel logistics in the lead-up.
Harding said the HKJC’s focus remained on the welfare of those stranded.
“Our thoughts are with our colleagues, owners and riders in Dubai. We are in constant communication and will provide whatever support we can,” he said.
Sing Dragon had travelled to Dubai for a feature assignment at Meydan, and the Super Saturday meeting went ahead as scheduled, with the horse finishing eighth in the Group 3 Mahab Al Shimaal before the air-travel shutdown left the HKJC-linked group unable to depart.
Teetan said he and his family were hoping to fly home on Monday evening. ∎
