08/02/2012  Happy Valley  Race 4

AMAZING JOURNEY was withdrawn on 7.2.12 by order of the Stewards acting on veterinary advice (stiff action behind). Before being allowed to race again, AMAZING JOURNEY will be subjected to an official veterinary examination. FULL SPIRIT was slow to begin. Approaching the 1100 Metres, SUISSE D’OR was awkwardly placed close to the heels of PERFECT TEN (Apprentice C Y Ho). Apprentice Ho was warned against the practice of excessively reducing the pace. For some distance after the 200 Metres, FULL SPIRIT was steadied when disappointed for running between MASTER DREAMER and PERFECT TEN. For the majority of the race, BEST NOODLE travelled wide and without cover and in the Straight gave ground. When questioned, Trainer L Ho stated that as he did not anticipate that tonight’s race would be run at a strong tempo and also as BEST NOODLE was dropping markedly in weight as compared to its last start, he instructed Apprentice T H So, the rider of BEST NOODLE, to attempt to obtain a forward position if possible. He said he had intended for BEST NOODLE to be ridden in 2nd or 3rd position, however, he did advise Apprentice So that if no other horse intended to lead, it was acceptable for him to dictate the tempo of the race. He said despite being ridden along in the early stages, BEST NOODLE did not have sufficient speed to cross runners to its inside and for this reason it was left racing wide. A veterinary inspection of FULL SPIRIT after the race did not show any significant findings. After the race, an endoscopic examination was conducted on MOUNT VICTORY at the request of Trainer P O’Sullivan. The Veterinary Surgeon said this examination showed a substantial amount of blood in the horse’s trachea. Before being allowed to race again, MOUNT VICTORY will be subjected to an official veterinary examination. MOUNT VICTORY, HOW WONDERFUL and COMPACT YARN were sent for sampling.