22/03/2023  Happy Valley  Race 5

NOBLE ONE got its head up as the start was effected, made contact with the right side of its barrier and became unbalanced. Soon after, NOBLE ONE was bumped heavily by DINOSAUR BOY which shifted out abruptly after jumping awkwardly, resulting in NOBLE ONE becoming badly unbalanced and losing ground. WIND SPEEDER knuckled on jumping. From wide barriers, BIRDSVILLE and FIRE BALL were shifted across behind runners in the early stages. BIRDSVILLE and CRAIG’S MASTER raced keenly in the middle stages. When questioned regarding the performance of FLYING ON THE TURF, Z Purton stated that after enjoying a comfortable run behind the lead throughout the early and middle stages, when placed under pressure in the Straight, FLYING ON THE TURF responded only fairly to his riding. He added that when endeavouring to improve into a run between MY INTELLIGENT and VICTORY SCHOLARS near the 150 Metres, he felt FLYING ON THE TURF was not stretching out and for this reason when beaten near the 100 Metres he looked down to ascertain whether there was something amiss with his mount. A veterinary inspection of FLYING ON THE TURF immediately following the race did not show any significant findings. Before being allowed to race again, FLYING ON THE TURF will be subjected to an official veterinary examination. When questioned regarding the apparent improvement of MY INTELLIGENT, Trainer L Ho stated that following its last start disappointing performance when obliged to race wide and without cover, he elected to freshen MY INTELLIGENT up as he felt the horse was racing with little enthusiasm. He said the application of visors, its good barrier draw and carrying the light weight of 115 lbs in tonight’s event allowed MY INTELLIGENT to obtain a comfortable lead in a moderately run race and these were the principal reasons for the horse’s improved performance. After the race, K C Leung stated that he was instructed to ride CRAIG’S MASTER back in the field from its outside barrier, but CRAIG’S MASTER jumped well and he was unable to restrain his mount to comply with his instructions, which resulted in CRAIG’S MASTER racing in a more forward position. Also after the race, C L Chau (DINOSAUR BOY) reported that the horse was making an abnormal respiratory noise during the event. He also expressed concern with the action of DINOSAUR BOY. A veterinary inspection of DINOSAUR BOY immediately following the race which included an endoscopic examination showed a substantial amount of mucus in the horse’s trachea. Before being allowed to race again, DINOSAUR BOY will be subjected to an official veterinary examination. A veterinary inspection of FIRE BALL and BIRDSVILLE immediately following the race did not show any significant findings. FLYING ON THE TURF, MY INTELLIGENT and VICTORY SCHOLARS were sent for sampling.