11/04/2021  Shatin  Race 5

DIVINE ERA began awkwardly and lost ground at the start. ALMIGHTY PEGASUS and GLUCK RACER bumped at the start. LOVE ME MORE began very awkwardly and then was bumped by SMART HUNTER which shifted out. When beginning awkwardly, LOVE ME MORE got its head up on a number of occasions. From wide barriers, LOVE ME MORE and SMART HUNTER were then shifted across behind runners in the early stages. From a wide barrier, VICTORY SCHOLARS was also steadied in the early stages and shifted across behind runners. Approaching the 800 Metres, ALMIGHTY PEGASUS, which was having its first race start, lost ground despite being ridden along when reluctant to maintain its position inside GLUCK RACER. When ALMIGHTY PEGASUS lost ground, SMART HUNTER, which was following, was awkwardly placed close to the heels of that horse. LOVE ME MORE, which was following SMART HUNTER, got its head up when also being steadied away from the heels of that horse. Approaching the 500 Metres, DIVINE ERA was awkwardly placed behind GALLANT CAVALIER when being shifted to the outside of that horse to obtain clear running. Approaching the 300 Metres, ALMIGHTY PEGASUS lay in away from LOVE ME MORE which itself shifted in under pressure, resulting in ALMIGHTY PEGASUS being steadied and shifted to the outside of LOVE ME MORE passing the 300 Metres. Near the 250 Metres, GALLANT CAVALIER was directed to the outside of SHADOW RUNNER to obtain clear running. GALLANT CAVALIER and DIVINE ERA raced tight passing the 200 Metres. Throughout the race, TOWARDS SUCCESS travelled wide and without cover. When questioned regarding the disappointing performance of BRANDING POWER, Z Purton stated that he had to ride his mount along for some distance in the early stages to obtain a forward position from the outside barrier. He said he had hoped to be able to cross RHAPSODY making the first turn near the 900 Metres, however, RHAPSODY continued to maintain its position inside BRANDING POWER and he was not able to properly clear that horse until near the 600 Metres. He said whilst he had to make more use of BRANDING POWER in the early and middle stages to cross RHAPSODY, this did not explain the horse coming under heavy pressure after the 400 Metres and then failing to respond to his riding. He added BRANDING POWER did not quicken and then gave ground over the concluding stages. He said after the race he recommended to connections that they consider riding the horse more conservatively in its future starts in the hope that it may be able to finish off its races better than it did today. A veterinary inspection of BRANDING POWER immediately following the race did not show any significant findings. RHAPSODY, GLUCK RACER and VICTORY SCHOLARS were sent for sampling.