18/05/2008  Shatin  Race 11

MAVERICK began awkwardly and lost a considerable amount of ground. JAMESINA and PUERTO RICO were slow to begin. On jumping, KENOBE was crowded for room between FANTASTIC DANCER and TRIUMPHANT DIAMOND, both of which shifted ground. At the 1500 Metres, INFINITE DELIGHT got its head up and shifted out when being steadied away from the heels of KENOBE. After this, INFINITE DELIGHT, which was over-racing, travelled wide and without cover. Also at the 1500 Metres, TACTIC KING broke down and was eased out of the race. Near the 1400 Metres, PUERTO RICO was checked away from the heels of FANTASTIC DANCER. At the 1400 Metres, WADADELIGHT got its head up and became unbalanced when momentarily awkwardly placed inside KENOBE. Near the 100 Metres, LOCAL POWER got its head on the side, commenced to hang out and shifted ground abruptly. Because of this, C W Wong, its rider, stopped riding and straightened his mount. After the 100 Metres, MAN IN THE MIRROR was awkwardly placed outside the heels of FLORAL NIRVANA which was drifting wider. Approaching the winning post, JAMESINA and LOCAL POWER bumped due to both horses shifting ground. M Du Plessis (KENOBE) explained he had been instructed to ride the horse in a midfield position. He said KENOBE began well, he rode along for a short distance to ensure KENOBE did not travel too far back. He said when the tempo of the race was slow and bearing in mind he was carrying a light weight and to avoid being left racing wide and without cover, he decided to allow KENOBE to travel into a forward position without making use of the horse to do so. He said KENOBE travelled comfortably in the run, kept on in the early part of the Straight, however, over the concluding stages gave ground. G Boss (FANTASTIC DANCER) explained he had been instructed to ride the horse with cover if possible as it was felt the horse was doing too much work when leading races. He said in accordance with those instructions in the early stages he took FANTASTIC DANCER back to a midfield position to ensure it obtained cover. He explained due to the slow tempo of the race FANTASTIC DANCER proved very difficult to settle, over-raced badly and as a consequence was not able to finish the race off. TRIUMPHANT DIAMOND was sent for an official veterinary inspection. A veterinary inspection of TRIUMPHANT DIAMOND after the race did not show any significant findings. JAMESINA and LOCAL POWER were sent for sampling.