2009 saw the inaugural running of the Asian Young Guns Challenge at Flemington Racecourse, Melbourne, Australia.

The Victoria Racing Club (VRC) conducted this Apprentice Jockeys Race Series with the concept of giving leading apprentices from overseas an exposure to the Australian Racing scene and similarly selected Australian Apprentice Jockeys from Victoria will visit other racing countries under this agreement.

Keagan De Melo.

The 2nd running of this Challenge was staged by the Singapore Turf Club (STC) at Kranji Racecourse and in 2011 the series returned to Flemington Racecourse. This year, the 4th running of the Asian Young Guns Challenge will be in Macau.

The Macau Jockey Club (MJC) is honoured to have the opportunity to host this prestigious event. South Africa will be represented by KZN-based Keagan De Melo. The 2012 Asian Young Guns Challenge will be conducted as a three race series for leading apprentice riders from Japan, Hong Kong, Australia, New Zealand, Korea, Malaysia, Singapore, South Africa and Macau on Saturday, 4th August at Taipa Racecourse twilight racemeeting.

Karis Teetan.

Meanwhile Karis Teetan has been chosen to represent South Africa at the 2012 KRA Jockey Invitation Races in Seoul, South Korea on 11 and 12 August. Teetan will be up against six local Korean jockeys and five others representing Ireland, Japan, Macau, Singapore and Turkey.

The competition consists of four races run on two consecutive nights under lights on sand at the Seoul Race Park. 

Teetan has ridden more than 100 winners during the current season including three Grade 1 races, two on Jackson and the TBA Paddock Stakes aboard Thunder Dance, all for Brett Crawford. 

Mauritian born but now resident in Cape Town, he was apprenticed to the South African Jockey Academy in 2004 and has now made South Africa his home>