05/10/2008  Shatin  Race 5

SKY WALKER was slow to begin. From a barrier towards the outside, WINNING FIRST was taken back in the early stages. WINNING FIRST then proved somewhat difficult to settle in the early and middle stages. ROYAL DOMAIN shifted out abruptly at the start and bumped MAGIC TEMPLE. VIENTO began awkwardly. Rounding the first turn, ASIAN CITRUS raced tight inside VIENTO which got its head on the side and shifted in away from ROYAL DOMAIN. Near the 800 Metres, SKY WALKER became unbalanced in its action and lost ground. K L Chui reported SKY WALKER did not travel comfortably for the remainder of the race. Near the 300 Metres, EXPLODING was momentarily awkwardly placed close to the heels of VIENTO when being shifted to the outside of that runner. Passing the 300 Metres, WINNING FIRST, which was giving ground, was steadied away from the heels of MAGIC TEMPLE which shifted out to improve. Over about the final 100 Metres, VIENTO hung out and proved difficult to ride. Throughout the race, ROYAL DOMAIN travelled wide and without cover and in the Straight gave ground. M Du Plessis reported in the Straight when placed under pressure ROYAL DOMAIN’s action did not feel comfortable. ASIAN CITRUS and ROYAL DOMAIN were sent for an official veterinary inspection. A veterinary inspection of ASIAN CITRUS and ROYAL DOMAIN after the race did not show any significant findings. EXPLODING and VIENTO were sent for sampling.