14/06/2015  Shatin  Race 5

GERONIMO MEADOW was slow to begin. SHORT SQUEEZE began only fairly and then despite being aggressively ridden in the early stages failed to muster speed and consequently raced back in the field. Shortly after the start, HEROIC GURU shifted in and bumped BEAUTY JOURNEY. From the outside barrier, ISLAND GARDEN was shifted across behind runners in the early stages. After the 1300 Metres, SUGAR CITY was awkwardly placed inside the heels of BEAUTY JOURNEY. Near the 1200 Metres, SHORT SQUEEZE was steadied away from the heels of HEROIC GURU which shifted in away from the heels of GOLDEN PARTNERS. After the 1000 Metres, SHORT SQUEEZE commenced to prove difficult to settle and got its head up when awkwardly placed behind HEROIC GURU and then MASQUERADER. At the 100 Metres, ACUMEN, which lay in under pressure in the Straight, was momentarily crowded for room between JUN GONG which shifted in marginally and AH BO which got its head on the side and shifted out. Throughout the race, ELECTRONIC FORTUNE travelled wide and without cover. When questioned, D Lane stated that he had been asked to ride CHEVALIER STAR, which had not been beginning well in its races, in about a midfield position with cover from barrier 12 if possible. He said CHEVALIER STAR, with blinkers applied for the first time today, began well and after initially steadying his mount in an attempt to comply with his instructions, he felt that, having in mind the way that CHEVALIER STAR began and the make-up of the field to his inside, it would be better to allow his mount to stride forward and clear runners to his inside rather than being left unnecessarily wide and possibly without cover. Also when questioned, N Rawiller (AH BO) stated that he had been asked to ride the horse in a similar position to last start and that was in midfield or just in advance of midfield with cover if possible. He said AH BO began only fairly and due to the make-up of the field in the early stages, he was not able to shift in to obtain a positon closer to the rail than four wide. He said making the first turn when the pace of the race slowed appreciably, he did give consideration to allowing AH BO to stride forward, however, he felt that he would have had to make a lot of use of AH BO to improve its position at this time and it was likely that the pace of the race would increase which would result in AH BO still having to race wide. He said therefore he felt that his better option was to keep AH BO balanced albeit wide. He added after the 600 Metres AH BO got its head on the side and lay out and then in the Straight gave ground. A veterinary inspection of AH BO immediately following the race did not show any significant findings. After the race, an endoscopic examination was conducted on ISLAND GARDEN at the request of Trainer P O’Sullivan. The Veterinary Surgeon reported that this examination showed a substantial amount of blood in the horse's trachea. Before being allowed to race again, ISLAND GARDEN will be subjected to an official veterinary examination. HEROIC GURU, CHEVALIER STAR and THORS BOLT were sent for sampling.