05/03/2023  Shatin  Race 2

Whilst entering the track, CALL ME MIGHTY reared and dislodged its rider, H N Wong. In this incident, CALL ME MIGHTY fell over. CALL ME MIGHTY was examined by the Veterinary Officer who said that the horse was not suitable to race. Acting on this advice, CALL ME MIGHTY was withdrawn by order of the Stewards. Before being allowed to race again, CALL ME MIGHTY will be subjected to an official veterinary examination. M UNICORN was slow to begin and then from the outside barrier was shifted across behind runners in the early stages. CURLING SPEED jumped awkwardly and made contact with the left side of its barrier and lost ground. GOAL ORIENTED jumped only fairly and shortly after the start was brushed by CLASSIC MOON which shifted in. Shortly after the start, RED TITAN, which jumped awkwardly, was steadied when crowded by JAZZ CLUB which was taken in by EXCELLENT FIGHTER. GALVANIC raced wide and without cover from the 800 Metres. Near the 500 Metres, GOLDEN LUCK, which was racing keenly, became awkwardly placed behind SPEEDY CHARIOT and shifted out and as a result made contact with GALVANIC on a number of occasions, resulting in GALVANIC being taken wider. Near the 350 Metres, M UNICORN was held up behind STAR ASCENSION and inside the 300 Metres was shifted to the inside of STAR ASCENSION to obtain clear running, but was disappointed for this run when STAR ASCENSION shifted in slightly. M UNICORN was then shifted to the outside of STAR ASCENSION approaching the 250 Metres to secure clear running. Then approaching the 100 Metres, M UNICORN was briefly held up behind GOLDEN LUCK. After the 300 Metres, JAZZ CLUB shifted in and away from CLASSIC MOON which also shifted in. After the race, K C Leung reported that GOAL ORIENTED raced keenly throughout the early and middle stages and refused to settle and near the 800 Metres was steadied to avoid the heels of STAR ASCENSION which shifted in. When questioned, C L Chau (FUN TOGETHER) stated that from a wide barrier he was instructed to endeavour to obtain a midfield position with cover. He said as a result he rode FUN TOGETHER in a conservative manner soon after the start in order to comply with his instructions. He added that near the 750 Metres he endeavoured to obtain a position behind JAZZ CLUB, however when JAZZ CLUB was steadied away from GALVANIC, this resulted in FUN TOGETHER becoming awkwardly placed close to JAZZ CLUB and as a result he was obliged to steady his mount, resulting in FUN TOGETHER becoming unbalanced. He said as a result FUN TOGETHER was caught very wide and for this reason he elected to obtain a trailing position towards the rear of the field behind CLASSIC MOON. He said as a consequence FUN TOGETHER settled further back in the field than had been intended. He further stated that in the Straight FUN TOGETHER was inclined to lay out under pressure which resulted in him changing his whip into his left hand at the 150 Metres to assist in straightening his mount. Mr T P Yung, trainer of FUN TOGETHER, confirmed the instructions issued to Jockey Chau. When questioned regarding the performance of STAR ASCENSION, H Bowman stated that whilst he was able to take up a handy position, STAR ASCENSION was unsuited by the moderate tempo throughout the middle stages. He said as a result when the pace of the race quickened, STAR ASCENSION came under pressure and responded only fairly to his riding. He added that over the final 100 Metres STAR ASCENSION held on reasonably well although well beaten at this stage of the event. A veterinary inspection of STAR ASCENSION immediately following the race did not show any significant findings. GOLDEN LUCK, EXCELLENT FIGHTER and GALVANIC were sent for sampling.