01/05/2008  Shatin  Race 2

SUPER RED was withdrawn on 28.4.08 by order of the Stewards acting on veterinary advice (lame left hind) and was replaced by Standby Declared Starter PERFECT ATHLETE. Before being allowed to race again, SUPER RED will be subjected to an official veterinary examination. ABLE STANDARD began awkwardly and became unbalanced. WINNING CHAMP began awkwardly, shifted out and bumped GENERAL SPEEDEE. From the outside barrier, AURELIAN was taken across behind runners shortly after the start. Approaching the turn at the 800 Metres, WINNING CHAMP hung in. Making the turn at the 800 Metres, GENERAL SPEEDEE was checked away from the heels of TELECOM EMPEROR which was steadied away from the heels of PERFECT ATHLETE which momentarily shifted out after being crossed by WINNING CHAMP. At the 800 Metres, ACTIVE VALOUR was left racing wide and without cover. After the 400 Metres, GENERAL SPEEDEE which shifted in was steadied away from the heels of MUTUAL GAIN which shifted out. Passing the 200 Metres, DIAGHILEV, which was having some difficulty obtaining clear running, was shifted wider on the track, then after this continued to have difficulty obtaining clear running until near the 100 Metres when it was steadied and shifted to the outside of PERFECT ATHLETE. At the 50 Metres, AURELIAN, which had been closing the race off fairly, was checked when disappointed for running between HEADINGLEY and ACTIVE VALOUR which shifted out after bumping with MUTUAL GAIN. No action was taken. When questioned regarding the improved performance of TELECOM EMPEROR, Mr D J Hall, trainer of the horse, said it has an awkward action and because of this when placed under pressure it has given ground. He said following TELECOM EMPEROR’s race 8 days ago when the horse was disappointing, he felt the only chance of improving the performance of the horse was to experiment with a change in its training routine. He said because of this since its last run TELECOM EMPEROR had been restricted to swimming and very light work. He said today TELECOM EMPEROR travelled more kindly due to being freshened up which meant the horse was not under pressure on the turns and as a consequence its action was better. He did say the performance of TELECOM EMPEROR was not expected by the stable. ABLE STANDARD and GENERAL SPEEDEE were sent for an official veterinary inspection. A veterinary inspection of ABLE STANDARD and GENERAL SPEEDEE after the race did not show any significant findings. ACTIVE VALOUR, TELECOM EMPEROR and DIAGHILEV were sent for sampling.