28/02/2010  Shatin  Race 8

THE ONLY KID and GALLANT CHAMPION were slow to begin. BULLISH CASH shifted out at the start and bumped BEST FRIEND which became unbalanced. Near the 800 Metres, APPRECIATION was left racing wide and without cover. In the early part of the Straight, FEARLESS had some difficulty obtaining clear running, then near the 250 Metres was checked away from the heels of NEEDLES AND THREAD which was giving ground. When questioned, Apprentice T H So (DEPOSER) stated that he had been instructed to allow DEPOSER to run along at its own speed in today’s race. He said that he was specifically instructed not to restrain his mount as it is a free running galloper and has previously lay out when restrained, particularly in the Straight. Trainer L Ho confirmed that he instructed Apprentice So not to restrain DEPOSER but rather to allow the horse to run along at its own tempo. He said he was aware that prior to being imported to Hong Kong, DEPOSER had won a race when leading by a considerable margin. BRAVE KID and ABOVE ALL were sent for sampling.