22/09/2018  Shatin  Race 9

SUN TOUCH began awkwardly, resulting in its rider becoming unbalanced. ROUNDABOUT got its head up on a number of occasions in the early stages when being steadied to obtain cover. Shortly after the start, IRISH VEGA and SUN TOUCH bumped. From the outside barriers, SEBFIRE and PENANG HALL were steadied in the early stages to obtain cover. Passing the 1300 Metres, HOME RUN was eased away from the heels of RELENTLESS ME which shifted in. In the early stages, COMFORT LIFE was left racing wide and without cover and passing the 900 Metres was ridden forward to race outside the lead. IRISH VEGA was left racing wide and without cover near the 850 Metres. Passing the 300 Metres, IRISH VEGA was momentarily steadied away from the heels of INVINCIBLE FRESH which shifted out when improving . ROUNDABOUT had difficulty obtaining clear running over the final 150 Metres and consequently was not able to be properly tested. Over the concluding stages, GREAT TREASURE was awkwardly placed between RELENTLESS ME and INVINCIBLE FRESH. Close to the finishing line, COMFORT LIFE raced tight inside SMART LEADER. After the race, Z Purton stated that SEBFIRE travelled satisfactorily in the early and middle stages and in the early part of the Straight he was satisfied with the manner in which the horse was responding to his riding. He said however that after the 200 Metres SEBFIRE came under heavy pressure and then did not finish off the race over the concluding stages. A veterinary inspection of SEBFIRE immediately following the race did not show any significant findings. When questioned regarding his riding of LADY FIRST, G van Niekerk stated that after viewing the videos of the horse’s previous starts, it was felt that LADY FIRST is not able to sustain a long run and is better being held up for a short sprint. He said from barrier 9 he was asked to steady LADY FIRST in the early stages and obtain a position with cover and it was hoped that this may be in a position behind midfield. He said LADY FIRST began very well and he briefly considered allowing the horse to obtain a forward position, however, given his instructions, he elected to steady LADY FIRST in the early stages and obtain cover. He said after shifting in to race behind HOME RUN after the 1100 Metres, LADY FIRST commenced to travel keenly and got its head up when being checked away from the heels of HOME RUN approaching the 1000 Metres. He said he was able to shift LADY FIRST back in to race behind HOME RUN after the 1000 Metres, however, LADY FIRST was racing further back in the field than had been hoped. He said he followed HOME RUN and PENANG HALL throughout the middle stages and rather than shifting to the outside of HOME RUN, he elected to obtain inside runs on LADY FIRST as he did not want to have to shift LADY FIRST to the outside of runners too early in the Straight given that it was felt that the horse has a limited sprint. He added rounding the Home Turn and in the early part of the Straight he improved to be racing between HOME RUN and PENANG HALL and attempted to follow SEBFIRE through. He said after improving quickly behind SEBFIRE, he attempted to improve to the inside of that horse and in doing so bumped PENANG HALL on a number of occasions. He said he attempted to improve between SEBFIRE and IRISH VEGA after the 300 Metres, however, when that run closed, he then shifted LADY FIRST to the outside of firstly SEBFIRE and then HOME RUN and was able to obtain clear running passing the 200 Metres. He said he balanced up LADY FIRST and as the horse was finding the line strongly, he did not believe it was necessary to use the whip on the horse. He added LADY FIRST then finished off the race well. G van Niekerk was advised that his explanation would be reported, however, he was told to ensure that his mounts do not get too far out of their ground and are able to obtain clear running at the earliest available opportunity. He was also told to place his mounts under sufficient vigour to ensure that there is no room for query regarding his riding. COMFORT LIFE, INVINCIBLE FRESH and RELENTLESS ME were sent for sampling.