Dennis Yip Chor-hong’s Dubai plans for Fast Network remain up in the air, with the classy sprinter set for Sunday’s Class One Essex Handicap (1,200m) at Sha Tin before a decision is finalised next week.

Dubai Racing Club officials invited connections of Fast Network to run him in the Group One Al Quoz Sprint (1,200m) on March 28, but there is uncertainty surrounding the current conflict in Iran and the Middle East.

Hong Kong-based jockey Karis Teetan and trainer Chris So Wai-yin were stranded in Dubai after teaming up with Sing Dragon at Meydan last Saturday, but they managed to get on a flight home on Wednesday.

The Al Quoz Sprint and other features on Dubai World Cup night will be significantly impacted. Connections of Japanese duo Masquerade Ball, Jantar Mantar and Win Carnelian have already scrapped plans to travel to Dubai, while American connections eyeing the showpiece meeting are adopting a wait-and-see approach.

“I’m not sure – after this Sunday we’ll see. At this time, I can not say as it’s hard to tell,” Yip said of Fast Network’s prospects of travelling to Dubai.

In the midst of a breakout campaign, Fast Network scored a barnstorming win in the Group Three National Day Cup (1,000m) in October and has been placed behind superstar Ka Ying Rising in his past three starts.

The Wrote gelding’s third in the Group One Hong Kong Sprint (1,200m) in December prompted Yip to consider the Al Quoz, which could be his best chance of winning at the elite level given Ka Ying Rising’s stranglehold on Hong Kong sprints.

Fast Network heads into Sunday’s race off the back of another third behind Ka Ying Rising in January’s Group One Centenary Sprint Cup (1,200m).

“He’s going well and he’s in very good form,” Yip said.

“He’s got top weight. We’ll see the draw, but I think he’s got a good chance.”

Fast Network shares top weight of 135lb with Patch Of Theta on Sunday and has drawn barrier one.

Champion jockey Zac Purton reunites with the five-year-old for the first time since he started his campaign last September.

In what shapes as a competitive Class One contest, the field of 12 features eight Group winners and impressive last-start Class Two victor Sky Trust.

Elsewhere on Sunday, Yip will also start Hong Kong Derby (2,000m) entrant Smart Avenue in the Class Three Kowloon Tong Club Trophy (1,600m) but with a rating of only 68, the handler doubts his import can sneak into the March 22 feature.

He recorded a barnstorming 1,400m triumph at Sha Tin in December, followed by a close second to Lovero over a mile and a last-start eighth to Flow Water Flow over 1,800m.

“He doesn’t have enough rating points [to get into the Derby], but I think he can run well on Sunday,” Yip said.

Teetan has ridden Smart Avenue on all of his six Hong Kong starts, but the Mauritian will ride the Brett Crawford-trained Hymnbook in the Kowloon Tong Club Trophy.

Yip has turned to the in-form Jerry Chau Chun-lok to ride Smart Avenue, who jumps from gate nine in a race that also features Derby entrants Glittering Legend, Natural Numbers, Violet Star, Endued, Hymnbook, Shamz and Shamus Storm.

Flowing, Quick Money, Natural High, Lucky Year, Heroic Vanguard and PI Legend are Yip’s other weekend runners.