04/07/2018  Happy Valley  Race 5

SMART BABY was withdrawn on 3.7.18 by order of the Stewards acting on veterinary advice (lame left fore). Before being allowed to race again, SMART BABY will be subjected to an official veterinary examination. On arrival at the Start, J Moreira expressed concern about the action of MIDNITE PROMISE. MIDNITE PROMISE was examined by the Veterinary Officer who said that whilst there were no obvious signs of lameness, the horse was found to have a very restricted movement in both front legs and after the necessary consultations MIDNITE PROMISE was deemed unsuitable to race. Accordingly, MIDNITE PROMISE was withdrawn by order of the Stewards. Before being allowed to race again, MIDNITE PROMISE will be subjected to an official veterinary examination. GOLDEN KID began awkwardly and shortly after the start was crowded for room between SAVANNAH WIND and HAPPY ROCKY which shifted out. After this, despite being hard ridden, GOLDEN KID failed to muster speed and raced back in the field in the early stages. Then passing the 900 Metres, GOLDEN KID was shifted out from behind KING’S MAN and allowed to stride forward to race outside the lead. ULTIMATE DREAM began awkwardly and shifted in abruptly, resulting in ULTIMATE DREAM bumping the hindquarters of EVER LAUGH a short distance after the start and causing both horses to become unbalanced. From a wide barrier, KING’S MAN was shifted across behind runners in the early stages. Passing the 1700 Metres, GARLIC YEAH got its head on the side and hung in of its own accord. Passing the 1400 Metres, EVER LAUGH was awkwardly placed close to the heels of ASSOCIATION FANS. SAVANNAH WIND, which was following EVER LAUGH, shifted out away from the heels of that horse and bumped ULTIMATE DREAM which was taken wider. ULTIMATE DREAM, when left racing wide and without cover, was allowed to stride forward after the 1200 Metres to obtain a position closer to the rail. Approaching the 1100 Metres, EVER LAUGH got its head up when awkwardly placed behind ASSOCIATION FANS. Making the turn after the 1100 Metres, SAVANNAH WIND was bumped by ASSOCIATION FANS which shifted out away from the heels of AEROLUMINANCE. Also making the turn after the 1100 Metres, GARLIC YEAH momentarily raced tight between AEROLUMINANCE which initially shifted out and ULTIMATE DREAM which shifted in to race outside the lead. Passing the 800 Metres, SAVANNAH WIND got its head up when being checked away from the heels of GARLIC YEAH which was awkwardly placed behind ULTIMATE DREAM. After the 700 Metres, KING’S MAN was left racing wide and without cover. Making the turn after the 600 Metres, both AEROLUMINANCE and ASSOCIATION FANS brushed the running rail. Also making the turn after the 600 Metres, EVER LAUGH shifted out and bumped the hindquarters of HAPPY ROCKY which became unbalanced. Passing the 200 Metres, ASSOCIATION FANS was awkwardly placed behind ULTIMATE DREAM when unable to initially shift out due to SAVANNAH WIND being positioned outside ASSOCIATION FANS and inside AEROLUMINANCE. ASSOCIATION FANS was then shifted to the outside of ULTIMATE DREAM passing the 100 Metres at which time SAVANNAH WIND was steadied away from the heels of that horse. Over the concluding stages, GARLIC YEAH hung in and proved difficult to ride. Also over the concluding stages, ULTIMATE DREAM and ASSOCIATION FANS raced tight. Mr L Ho, the trainer of ASSOCIATION FANS, stated that with the horse stepping up in distance tonight and having drawn the outside barrier in a race where it was anticipated that there would not be a lot of speed, it had been decided to ride the horse in a more forward position. When questioned regarding SALTO OLIMPICO racing in a forward position tonight, Mr D J Hall, the trainer of the horse, stated that he had applied blinkers to SALTO OLIMPICO earlier in the season and the horse had proved difficult to settle. He said he then removed the blinkers from SALTO OLIMPICO and instructed the rider to have the horse ridden in a forward position over 2000 Metres at Sha Tin. He said on this occasion the horse again did not settle in the race even with the blinkers removed and therefore he instructed the riders of SALTO OLIMPICO at its subsequent races to ride it more patiently and ensure that it settled better in its races. He said down in class tonight and from the wide barrier, with the step-up in distance to 1800 Metres, he believed that this race would not be run at a quick tempo as he could only identify MIDNITE PROMISE and AEROLUMINANCE which would normally be ridden forward in their races. He said therefore as SALTO OLIMPICO was racing over 1800 Metres, he believed there was an opportunity for the horse to take up a more prominent position albeit it was not expected that it would necessarily lead the race. He added with the withdrawal of MIDNITE PROMISE at the barriers, this allowed SALTO OLIMPICO the opportunity to lead and dictate the race. He said he did not believe it would be in the best interests of SALTO OLIMPICO for the horse to be ridden back in the field tonight given the likely sedate tempo of the race. After the race, Z Purton was not able to offer any explanation for the disappointing performance of SAVANNAH WIND. He said, in his opinion, SAVANNAH WIND struggles to be competitive in Class 4 at this stage of its career. A veterinary inspection of SAVANNAH WIND immediately following the race did not show any significant findings. A veterinary inspection of EVER LAUGH and HAPPY ROCKY immediately following the race did not show any significant findings. SALTO OLIMPICO and GOLDEN KID were sent for sampling.