07/04/2015  Shatin  Race 10

After being loaded into the barriers, HAPPY METEOR became fractious, reared and sat down, resulting in its rider, D Lane, being dislodged. HAPPY METEOR was removed from the barriers and examined by the Veterinary Officer who said in his opinion it was not suitable to race. Acting on this advice, the Stewards ordered the withdrawal of HAPPY METEOR. Before being allowed to race again, HAPPY METEOR will be required to perform satisfactorily in an official barrier trial and be subjected to an official veterinary examination. LONGWAH SILENT lost its left front plate on jumping. BOTH SURE clipped heels and blundered when crowded for room on jumping between RIGHTEOUS which shifted out and LONGWAH SILENT which, after initially shifting in of its own accord, was then taken in by GOOD LUCK BOY which in turn was taken in by KING OF MONGOLIA. From the outside barrier, KIRAM was shifted across behind runners in the early stages. Approaching the 1100 Metres, DIVINE BOY became unbalanced when racing tight between SPICY SURE and COUNTRY MELODY which got its head on the side and lay in before being directed back out by its rider. KIRAM lost its left front plate near the 1050 Metres. Approaching the 900 Metres, DIVINE BOY momentarily got its head up when steadied away from the heels of COUNTRY MELODY. Near the 900 Metres, STRATHMORE got its head on the side and shifted in, resulting in FLYING CAPTAIN being crowded for room. BEYOND FANTASY proved difficult to settle after the 900 Metres. Near the 850 Metres, GOOD LUCK BOY commenced to prove very difficult to settle and shifted out when being checked away from the heels of RIGHTEOUS, resulting in KING OF MONGOLIA being taken wider. After this, both GOOD LUCK BOY and KING OF MONGOLIA travelled wide and without cover. Also near the 850 Metres, SPICY SURE got its head up and lost ground when crowded for room inside COUNTRY MELODY (J Moreira) which, after hanging in in the lead up to the incident, then got its head on the side and shifted in away from MULTIMAX which was racing tight to the outside of COUNTRY MELODY. J Moreira was advised that whilst there were some circumstances to this incident, namely the racing manners of COUNTRY MELODY, he must ensure that he makes every endeavour, even in difficult circumstances, to prevent his mounts from shifting ground and causing inconvenience to other runners. Then near the 800 Metres, COUNTRY MELODY was awkwardly placed inside the heels of MULTIMAX. Near the 650 Metres, GOOD LUCK BOY was crowded for room between KING OF MONGOLIA (N Callan) and RIGHTEOUS, both of which shifted ground. When KING OF MONGOLIA was shifted out abruptly to relieve the tightening to GOOD LUCK BOY, N Callan became unbalanced. DIVINE BOY had difficulty obtaining clear running in the early part of the Straight. Near the 350 Metres, KIRAM was hampered by SPICY SURE (K C Leung) which shifted to the outside of KING OF MONGOLIA into clear running. K C Leung was advised to exercise more care when shifting ground in similar circumstances. Approaching the 100 Metres and again over the concluding stages, RIGHTEOUS and GOOD LUCK BOY raced tight due to GOOD LUCK BOY laying in under pressure. Then near the 50 Metres, RIGHTEOUS and GOOD LUCK BOY bumped and became unbalanced due to both horses shifting ground. When questioned, C Y Ho (BOTH SURE) stated that after clipping heels and blundering at the start, his mount became unbalanced and then became further unbalanced after losing its left front plate after making the turn near the 900 Metres. He said he rode his mount aggressively in the early and middle stages, however, BOTH SURE did not respond to his riding and became detached from the field. He said the manner in which BOTH SURE did not pick up ground and continued to race detached from the field caused him concern in the early and middle stages, however, at all times he continued to ride his mount along as he could detect no obvious problems with its action. He added rounding the Home Turn he continued to ride BOTH SURE along with the horse giving no response. He said after the 200 Metres BOTH SURE commenced to respond to his riding and finished off the last 200 Metres strongly. A veterinary inspection of BOTH SURE immediately following the race revealed the horse to be a “roarer”. Having in mind the manner in which BOTH SURE did not stretch out for the majority of the race, the Stewards ruled that the horse must barrier trial satisfactorily and be subjected to an official veterinary examination prior to being permitted to race again. A veterinary inspection of COUNTRY MELODY immediately following the race did not show any significant findings, however, the horse was unable to be scoped due to being fractious. A veterinary inspection of DIVINE BOY immediately following the race did not show any significant findings. DIVINE BOY, STRATHMORE and SPICY SURE were sent for sampling.