20/02/2008  Happy Valley  Race 5

After entering the track, THUNDER VALLEY reared, lost its footing and fell, causing S K Sit, its rider, to be dislodged. After arriving at the Start, THUNDER VALLEY was examined by the Veterinary Officer who said in his opinion it was suitable to race. AWARD was slow to begin. With the intention of being ridden quietly from the outside barrier, THUNDER VALLEY got its head up on jumping and was then taken across behind runners. Making the turn at the 1000 Metres, TRIUMPH was bumped by DURABLE which when proving difficult to settle shifted out away from the heels of THAT'S IT. For some distance approaching and passing the 200 Metres, SIXTY SECONDS had difficulty obtaining clear running. Passing the 200 Metres, STEEL NERVES improved into a narrow run between SIXTY SECONDS and BEAUTIFUL CHOICE. After the 200 Metres, AWARD, which was having difficulty obtaining clear running, was steadied. At the 150 Metres, MASTER DREAMER was bumped by ADD THE FUN which got its head on the side and shifted in. Over the concluding stages, ADD THE FUN shifted wider. Just prior to the winning post, STEEL NERVES and VINTAGE GOLD bumped. In the Straight, DURABLE and THAT'S IT hung in. Apprentice C W Wong (TRIUMPH) explained because it was anticipated the tempo of the race would be strong, he was instructed to ride the horse in a position with cover if possible. He said because of this he did not ride along to go forward in the early stages, however, he was not able to obtain a position with cover and as a consequence travelled three wide in midfield in the early stages. He said after entering the Back Straight he allowed TRIUMPH to move forward gradually, however, continued to race three wide and without cover. When questioned regarding the poor performance of BEAUTIFUL CHOICE, Y T Cheng said he had to go slightly quicker than he would have liked in the early stages to obtain the lead from a wide barrier. He said after crossing to race on the fence near the 1100 Metres, BEAUTIFUL CHOICE relaxed and travelled comfortably at a tempo to suit, however, over the final 200 Metres did not respond to his riding and gave ground quickly. Y T Cheng did say this was the first occasion on which he had ridden BEAUTIFUL CHOICE. BEAUTIFUL CHOICE was sent for an official veterinary inspection and sampling. THAT'S IT was sent for an official veterinary inspection. A veterinary inspection of BEAUTIFUL CHOICE and THAT'S IT after the race did not show any significant findings. ADD THE FUN and MASTER DREAMER were sent for sampling.