06/07/2022  Happy Valley  Race 9

ROCK YA HEART and STOLTZ bumped at the start. STOLTZ and SPECIAL M then raced tight for a short distance after the start between EXPLOSIVE WITNESS and ROCK YA HEART which got its head on the side and shifted in when unbalanced. Then near the 950 Metres, ROCK YA HEART was crowded for room between SCORES OF FUN and STOLTZ which shifted out. Passing the 950 Metres, WE THE SOUTH was shifted out away from the heels of CLASSIC UNICORN which shifted out when being ridden along. Approaching the 900 Metres, STOLTZ became unbalanced when bumped by SPECIAL M which was taken out by MCLUCKY. Near the 650 Metres, RUN RUN COOL was momentarily crowded for room between MCLUCKY and WE THE SOUTH, both of which shifted ground. Near the 450 Metres, EXPLOSIVE WITNESS and SCORES OF FUN raced tight as EXPLOSIVE WITNESS shifted out when awkwardly placed close to the heels of ROCK YA HEART. This resulted in both EXPLOSIVE WITNESS and SCORES OF FUN becoming unbalanced. Passing the 300 Metres, ROCK YA HEART shifted out a number of runners to obtain clear running. ROCK YA HEART and SPECIAL M then raced tight passing the 200 Metres. Approaching the 250 Metres, WE THE SOUTH raced tight inside MCLUCKY which shifted in. EXPLOSIVE WITNESS was held up for clear running over the final 100 Metres and approaching the winning post was checked away from the heels of CLASSIC UNICORN. Because of this, EXPLOSIVE WITNESS was not able to be properly tested. Throughout the race, both MCLUCKY and METRO WARRIOR travelled wide and without cover. After the race, Z Purton stated that, in his opinion, carrying top weight from barrier 8 resulted in STOLTZ not being able to finish the race off tonight, particularly given that the horse has not raced since towards the end of April. He said he had to ride his mount along in the early stages to get as forward a position as possible, however, was required to race in the second half of the field. He said STOLTZ travelled only fairly in the early and middle stages and after coming under heavy pressure rounding the Home Turn then did not finish the race off. A veterinary inspection of STOLTZ immediately following the race found that horse to be lame in its right front leg. Before being allowed to race again, STOLTZ will be subjected to an official veterinary examination. After the race, A Hamelin advised the Veterinary Officer that SCORES OF FUN coughed on a number of occasions on pulling up. A veterinary inspection of SCORES OF FUN immediately following the race including an endoscopic examination showed a substantial amount of blood in the horse’s trachea. Before being allowed to race again, SCORES OF FUN will be subjected to an official veterinary examination. A veterinary inspection of LUCKY MORE immediately following the race found that horse to be a "roarer” which had previously been reported. A veterinary inspection of RUN RUN COOL immediately following the race did not show any significant findings. STOLTZ, CLASSIC UNICORN and ROCK YA HEART were sent for sampling.