15/09/2010  Happy Valley  Race 7

SEA PRINCE lost its left hind plate in the Parade Ring. On arrival at the Start, this plate was refitted. SEA PRINCE was examined by the Veterinary Officer who said in his opinion it was suitable to race. FINN MACCOOL was slow to begin. As the start was effected, SEA PRINCE, which was leaning against the inside of its barrier stall, began awkwardly and consequently lost ground. Then after being ridden along, SEA PRINCE got its head up passing the 1100 Metres and proved very difficult to settle. In this incident, SEA PRINCE shifted in and bumped the hindquarters of FINN MACCOOL which became unbalanced. Passing the 1000 Metres, GO FAY FAY got its head up when being checked away from the heels of SUPER PLUS which at this time was steadied to allow BE MY SONG to cross. After this, GO FAY FAY continued to prove difficult to settle for some distance. Near the 200 Metres, SHOWTIME was directed away from the heels of BEAUTIFUL DREAMER which at this time shifted out and away from MR VIGOROUS which also shifted ground. MI REILLY, which was following SHOWTIME, was inconvenienced in consequence. Near the 50 Metres, WINDICATOR RETURNS was struck across the nose by the whip of Apprentice K C Leung (GO FAY FAY). Over the concluding stages, FINN MACCOOL was steadied away from the heels of BE MY SONG which shifted out. Throughout the race, HELENE WITTY travelled wide and without cover. When questioned, D Whyte stated that after consulting with Mr C H Yip, the trainer of MI REILLY, it was decided that the horse should be ridden quietly from barrier 12 and hoped that it would be able to obtain a position in midfield or slightly behind midfield. He said it was felt that if MI REILLY was ridden into a forward position, it would be obliged to race wide and therefore would not be able to finish off the race. He said MI REILLY began well and he immediately took hold of his mount in an endeavour to obtain a position closer to the rail. He added however that HELENE WITTY maintained its position to his inside. He said he did consider riding MI REILLY along to clear HELENE WITTY, however, he felt that he would have had to make too much use of MI REILLY at this stage, therefore he elected to shift across and obtain a position with cover behind that horse. He said this resulted in MI REILLY racing slightly further back in the field than had been hoped. He added that considering the tempo of the race steadied in the middle stages, MI REILLY closed off the race well when ridden in this fashion tonight. A veterinary inspection of FINN MACCOOL and SEA PRINCE after the race did not show any significant findings. SUPER PLUS and GO FAY FAY were sent for sampling. Following the race, the Veterinary Surgeon reported that a post-race scoping of BEAUTIFUL DREAMER revealed that the horse was displaying an epiglottic entrapment.