23/04/2023  Shatin  Race 5

CALL ME TEDDY jumped only fairly and for a short distance after the start raced tight between THE BEST HERO and SINGAPORE SPIRIT which shifted out. KEEN UNITY was slow to begin. I GIVE shifted in at the start and bumped HANDSOME REBEL. EVERYONE’S VICTORY jumped awkwardly and then from a wide barrier was shifted across behind runners in the early stages. SHINING FORTUNE was slow to begin and then from a wide barrier was also shifted across behind runners in the early stages. Near the 300 Metres, HANDSOME REBEL was steadied when crowded between I GIVE and THE BEST HERO (H W Lai) which, after being badly held up making the Home Turn and in the early part of the Straight, was shifted to the outside of CALL ME TEDDY to secure clear running. H W Lai was severely reprimanded. SINGAPORE SPIRIT was held up for clear running for some distance after the 300 Metres. Between the 300 Metres and the 200 Metres, LUCKY BANNER was held up for clear running. Again near the 100 Metres, LUCKY BANNER was held up when disappointed for clear running between SHINING FORTUNE and I GIVE which shifted out slightly. LUCKY BANNER was then shifted to the outside of SHINING FORTUNE where it secured clear running near the 100 Metres. Near the 250 Metres, R Maia (KEEN UNITY) dropped his left rein for a short distance. HANDSOME REBEL and I GIVE raced wide and without cover for the majority of the event. After the race, L Hewitson (THE MULTIPLIER) reported that near the 300 Metres he was obliged to steady his mount to avoid HANDSOME REBEL when that runner was interfered with. He added that as a result THE MULTIPLIER became unbalanced, lost momentum and did not finish the race off as expected. A veterinary inspection of THE MULTIPLIER immediately following the race did not show any significant findings. Also after the race, K C Leung (SWEET DIAMOND) stated that his instructions were to obtain a forward position from his inside barrier with cover. He added that after riding SWEET DIAMOND along in the early stages, he was content to allow CALL ME TEDDY to cross to comply with his instructions, however, when CALL ME TEDDY did not show sufficient pace to hold the lead, SWEET DIAMOND remained positioned in front and raced slightly further forward than what he had been instructed to do. A veterinary inspection of SWEET DIAMOND immediately following the race which included an endoscopic examination showed a substantial amount of blood in the horse’s trachea. Before being allowed to race again, SWEET DIAMOND will be subjected to an official veterinary examination. A veterinary inspection of LUCKY RUBY immediately following the race did not show any significant findings. THE MULTIPLIER, SWEET DIAMOND, EVERYONE’S VICTORY and KEEN UNITY were sent for sampling.