15/12/2010  Happy Valley  Race 1

After being loaded, STAR OF CHIU TON, which was initially difficult to load, broke open the front gates of its stall. However, STAR OF CHIU TON remained in the stalls. STAR OF CHIU TON was removed from the barriers and examined by the Veterinary Officer who said, in his opinion, it was suitable to race. Before being allowed to race again, STAR OF CHIU TON will be required to perform satisfactorily in a stalls test. EVER KING, which began awkwardly, was steadied shortly after the start when crowded for room between HUMONGUS and PACIFIC ALLIANCE, both of which shifted ground. FULL PACK and ROYAL PORTRAIT were slow to begin. From a wide barrier, SUPREME YEARS was taken across behind runners shortly after the start. Passing the 1600 Metres, HUMONGUS was steadied when crowded for room inside PACIFIC ALLIANCE which shifted in. Passing the winning post on the first occasion, PACIFIC ALLIANCE was steadied away from the heels of ROCKALOT (H W Lai) which shifted in when barely clear. H W Lai was reprimanded and advised to ensure that he is sufficiently clear when shifting ground in future. Passing the 1400 Metres, ROCKALOT was taken wide and without cover when STAR OF CHIU TON shifted away from the fence. Then near the 1200 Metres, ROCKALOT was bumped on the hindquarters and carried wider by PACIFIC ALLIANCE which itself was taken wider by SUPER GALILEO which shifted away from the heels of FASCINATING SMILE. Passing the 1300 Metres, FASCINATING SMILE was checked away from the heels of FANTASTISCH (M Guyon) which after shifting in when barely clear then steadied the tempo. M Guyon was reprimanded and advised to ensure that he is sufficiently clear when shifting ground and that he does not unnecessarily steady the tempo. For some distance approaching the 800 Metres, PACIFIC ALLIANCE was checked away from the heels of SUPER GALILEO. ROYAL PORTRAIT, which was following, was hampered in consequence. Near the 700 Metres, ROYAL PORTRAIT raced tight between ROCKALOT and HUMONGUS (B Boyle) which shifted out. ROYAL PORTRAIT then raced in restricted room for some distance before becoming unbalanced when crowded for room at the 600 Metres between HUMONGUS and ROCKALOT which got its head on the side and shifted in slightly. In this incident, HUMONGUS was bumped on the hindquarters by ROYAL PORTRAIT and became unbalanced. For some distance after this, HUMONGUS then raced in restricted room between FASCINATING SMILE and ROYAL PORTRAIT and near the 400 Metres was steadied when unable to maintain its position between those horses. B Doyle was advised that the incident was initiated by him positioning HUMONGUS between FASCINATING SMILE and ROYAL PORTRAIT where there was insufficient room. He was advised in similar circumstances he should ensure that he affords his fellow riders comfortable racing room. At the entrance to the Straight, SUPREME YEARS was steadied when attempting a run between ROCKALOT and FULL PACK where there was insufficient room. Near the 100 Metres, ROCKALOT was momentarily steadied when crowded for room between ROYAL PORTRAIT which was taken out by PACIFIC ALLIANCE and FULL PACK which shifted in. A veterinary inspection of HUMONGUS after the race including an endoscopic examination showed a substantial amount of mucopus in the horse’s trachea. SUPER GALILEO, STAR OF CHIU TON and FANTASTISCH were sent for sampling.