14/09/2011  Happy Valley  Race 2

AIPODER IMAGE began awkwardly. Shortly after the start, DAILY DOUBLE raced tight inside RAY’S FAVOURITE which got its head on the side and shifted in momentarily. BEAUTIFUL CHOICE raced wide and without cover until near the 800 Metres when it was able to shift in to a position to race outside RAY’S FAVOURITE. O Doleuze (FANTASTISCH) was warned for using the whip in the forehand manner down the horse’s shoulder over the concluding stages. When questioned regarding the disappointing performance of SONOFTHEWEST, M Du Plessis stated that he had ridden the horse in a trial on 31 August 2011 and, in his opinion, this trial was only fair. He said he had intended to lead on SONOFTHEWEST tonight, however, when RAY’S FAVOURITE was intent on being ridden into the lead, he believed he would have had to make too much use of SONOFTHEWEST to maintain its position inside of that horse, therefore he allowed RAY’S FAVOURITE to cross his mount. He added that after this SONOFTHEWEST travelled only fairly and in the Straight when placed under pressure was disappointing in the manner in which it weakened out of the event. He did note that SONOFTHEWEST’s best form had been towards the back end of last season and he felt that SONOFTHEWEST may improve with racing. A veterinary inspection of SONOFTHEWEST after the race did not show any significant findings. When questioned regarding the disappointing performance of ROCKET AND GOLD, B Prebble stated that after having been instructed to ride his mount quietly in the early stages, ROCKET AND GOLD became unbalanced after being bumped on a number of occasions by AMAZING VENTURE. He said after making contact with AMAZING VENTURE, ROCKET AND GOLD appeared to him to lose interest in the race and as far out as 1000 Metres from the finish he had concerns as to whether ROCKET AND GOLD would finish off its race. He said after shifting out into clear running rounding the Home Turn, ROCKET AND GOLD did not finish off the race. A veterinary inspection of ROCKET AND GOLD after the race did not show any significant findings. FANTASTISCH, RAY’S FAVOURITE and NOBLE TWINS were sent for sampling.