04/01/2017  Happy Valley  Race 7

FLAME HERO was crowded for room on jumping between RENAISSANCE ART which shifted out and CIRCUIT LAND which was taken in by HELEN SUPER STAR. A short distance after the start, RENAISSANCE ART was eased away from the heels of ROMANTIC TOUCH which shifted out. From the outside barrier, HARBOUR MASTER was shifted across behind runners in the early stages. GONNA RUN was also steadied in the early stages to obtain a position with cover. After the 800 Metres, HARBOUR MASTER raced in restricted room between FLAME HERO and RENAISSANCE ART which shifted out. After the 700 Metres, GONNA RUN raced tight outside FLAME HERO which shifted out. Making the turn near the 550 Metres, HELENE SUPER STAR got its head on the side, shifted in and bumped TWIN DELIGHT. Near the 450 Metres, BASIC TRILOGY and CIRCUIT LAND bumped. After this, CIRCUIT LAND and BASIC TRILOGY raced tight as BASIC TRILOGY was awkwardly placed close to the heels of TWIN DELIGHT. Passing the 250 Metres, CIRCUIT LAND was bumped on the hindquarters by BASIC TRILOGY which attempted to improve between that horse and HELENE SUPER STAR where there was insufficient room. This resulted in BASIC TRILOGY having to be severely checked when disappointed for running approaching the 200 Metres. Passing the 200 Metres, RENAISSANCE ART was shifted away from the heels of HELENE SUPER STAR. Approaching the 100 Metres, HORSE OF FORTUNE was bumped by TWIN DELIGHT which, when commencing to give ground, was steadied away from the heels of HELENE SUPER STAR (N Callan) which shifted in. N Callan was advised to exercise more care. Over the concluding stages, BASIC TRILOGY and RENAISSANCE ART raced tight. When questioned regarding the disappointing performance of HORSE OF FORTUNE, S de Sousa stated that after being able to obtain a trailing position behind the leader PACKING DRAGON in the early stages, HORSE OF FORTUNE was left flat-footed when the tempo of the race increased significantly after the 700 Metres. He said carrying top weight, HORSE OF FORTUNE was not able to quicken with the field and he had to ride his mount aggressively in an endeavour to maintain his position and HORSE OF FORTUNE took a considerable amount of time to gather momentum. He said HORSE OF FORTUNE was commencing to improve its position after the 200 Metres, however, after being bumped by TWIN DELIGHT approaching the 100 Metres lost momentum and consequently was not able to close off the race strongly over the concluding stages. A veterinary inspection of HORSE OF FORTUNE immediately following the race did not show any significant findings. A veterinary inspection of FLAME HERO immediately following the race found that horse to be lame in its left front leg. Before being allowed to race again, FLAME HERO will be subjected to an official veterinary examination. BASIC TRILOGY, HARBOUR MASTER and CIRCUIT LAND were sent for sampling.