05/04/2009  Shatin  Race 7

The Stewards deferred the declaration of weighed-in while they considered whether NORMAN INVADER (H W Lai) had had an unfair start. The official videos of the start were viewed which showed that NORMAN INVADER had been fractious in its stall after being boxed and then as the start was effected reared. As NORMAN INVADER was coming back down after rearing, H W Lai, who was unbalanced in the saddle, reached out with his right arm and took hold of the adjoining partition of its stall. As NORMAN INVADER jumped, H W Lai became unbalanced and was dislodged of his mount. In the circumstances, the Stewards did not believe it appropriate to rule NORMAN INVADER had had an unfair start, as such the horse was deemed to be a runner and weighed-in was declared on the numbers as semaphored by the Judge. Before being allowed to race again, NORMAN INVADER will have to perform satisfactorily in a stalls test. After the race, H W Lai was examined by the Club’s doctor who said he was fit to fulfil his remaining riding engagement. SOLAR MIGHTY, which was fractious in its stall, was slow to begin. In the early and middle stages, ROYAL PERICLES proved difficult to settle. Making the turn at the 700 Metres, SOLAR MIGHTY bumped the running rail. SUPERIOR UNIT hung out making the Home Turn. In the Straight, HOLI RAVIOLI hung out. Throughout the race, STREET CAT travelled wide and without cover. D Beadman (ABLE SPEED) said his mount began awkwardly and made heavy contact with the outside of its stall. He said when this happened he heard a considerable noise come from his saddle and shortly afterwards he realized the front portion of his saddle had folded back. He said after travelling about 100 Metres he reached down and endeavoured to correct his saddle which he was not able to do. He said approaching the turn at the 700 Metres his saddle commenced to shift to the left side, placing him at a further disadvantage. He said he continued to be unable to right his saddle and because of the disadvantage at which he was placed in the Home Straight, he eased his mount down. He said following the race when he unsaddled ABLE SPEED, he noticed the straps which hold the girth in place were broken and this caused the saddle to be unstable on his mount. He said in his opinion this gear broke at the start. The Stewards inspected the saddle of D Beadman and confirmed the report given by him. When questioned regarding the poor performance of PLAN B, J Winks said his mount did not travel comfortably at any stage of the race, however, was able to obtain a forward position as instructed in the initial stages. He said after the 1000 Metres he had to make some use of PLAN B in an endeavour to hold his position. He said PLAN B drifted back to a position slightly forward of midfield passing the 700 Metres. He said on straightening he placed PLAN B under pressure, his mount did not quicken as he had hoped and approaching the 200 Metres shortened in its action and commenced to give ground. He said because of the manner in which PLAN B was giving ground, he did not persevere in riding his mount out over the final 150 Metres. PLAN B, ABLE SPEED and SOLAR MIGHTY were sent for an official veterinary inspection. A veterinary inspection of PLAN B and ABLE SPEED after the race did not show any significant findings. After the race, SOLAR MIGHTY was examined by the Veterinary Officer. He said an endoscopic examination showed a substantial amount of blood in the horse's trachea. Before being allowed to race again, SOLAR MIGHTY will be subjected to an official veterinary examination. DYNAMIC BLITZ and ROYAL PERICLES were sent for sampling.