02/04/2018  Shatin  Race 8

GRADE ONE was withdrawn on 1.4.18 by order of the Stewards acting on veterinary advice (lame right fore) and was replaced by Standby Declared Starter ENDEARING. Before being allowed to race again, GRADE ONE will be subjected to an official veterinary examination. FLAME LILY and ENDEARING bumped at the start. ASSOCIATION FANS was steadied in the early stages to obtain cover. From a wide barrier, SUPERIOR BOY was steadied in the early stages to obtain cover. Making the first turn near the 900 Metres, TOP ACE shifted in and bumped FRESH POWER. Passing the 800 Metres, LUCKY STORM got its head up when being checked away from the heels of NICE KICK. After this, LUCKY STORM continued to be awkwardly placed behind NICE KICK for some distance. In the middle stages, AUTOPAY travelled keenly and got its head up on a number of occasions and making the first turn after the 900 Metres got its head on the side and lay out. After the 700 Metres, FLYING NOBLE was left racing wide and without cover. Approaching the 600 Metres, ASSOCIATION FANS commenced to travel keenly and was checked away from the heels of LUCKY STORM. In this incident, ASSOCIATION FANS shifted in marginally, resulting in SUPERIOR BOY being momentarily crowded for room. FRESH POWER had difficulty obtaining clear running in the early part of the Straight and near the 300 Metres raced in restricted room when improving into tight running between FLYING NOBLE and TOP ACE. Approaching and passing the 300 Metres, NICE KICK raced in restricted room between FLYING NOBLE and SMILING CHARM which shifted out to obtain clear running. Throughout the race, TOP ACE travelled wide and without cover. When questioned, Trainer A T Millard stated that as TOP ACE had been out of form for some time, he elected, in consultation with the owner, to ride the horse forward from its wide barrier to take advantage of the 10 lb allowance of Apprentice C Wong. He said TOP ACE had experienced a number of veterinary issues in the past including having bled on two occasions and it was for this reason the horse was not being ridden in a more forward position. He said however that due to TOP ACE being out of form, it was felt that there was an opportunity for the horse to be ridden in a forward position to see if it could finish off the race better. When questioned regarding his riding of SUPERIOR BOY in the early part of the Straight, K C Ng stated that on straightening he immediately shifted SUPERIOR BOY to the outside of LUCKY STORM with a view to improving between that horse and ASSOCIATION FANS. He said after riding to improve between those horses, he noticed that ASSOCIATION FANS was commencing to shift in and as he was aware of that horse’s previous racing history, he was reluctant to ride his mount along to improve inside ASSOCIATION FANS as he felt that there was a likelihood that SUPERIOR BOY would be tightened by ASSOCIATION FANS if that horse continued to shift in. He said he therefore believed it was in the best interests of SUPERIOR BOY to shift that horse to the outside of ASSOCIATION FANS to obtain clear running. He said when ASSOCIATION FANS lay in after the 300 Metres, he shifted SUPERIOR BOY to the outside of that horse near the 250 Metres and then SUPERIOR BOY commenced to close off the race strongly. He added passing the 100 Metres SUPERIOR BOY was steadied when disappointed for running between FLYING NOBLE and TOP ACE which shifted in. K C Ng was advised that his explanation would be reported, however, he must ensure that he rides his mounts in such a manner so that his riding is not open to query. When questioned, M L Yeung stated that he was asked to obtain a forward position on AUTOPAY. He said however on jumping AUTOPAY began very awkwardly and shifted out abruptly to the left, resulting in his left leg being jammed against the outside gate. He said AUTOPAY then continued to shift out. He said as he was experiencing pain in his left leg at this time, he did not ride the horse positively in the initial stages to take up a forward position which resulted in AUTOPAY racing further back in the field than had been intended. Whilst it was verified on the video that M L Yeung’s left leg had made solid contact with the outside gate due to the horse beginning awkwardly, he was reminded of his obligation to report matters which occur in a race which may have a bearing on the horse’s performance. A veterinary inspection of AUTOPAY immediately following the race did not show any significant findings, however, the horse was unable to be scoped due to being fractious. A veterinary inspection of SHANGHAI DRAGON and FLYING NOBLE immediately following the race did not show any significant findings. SMILING CHARM and VITAL SPRING were sent for sampling.