10/11/2010  Happy Valley  Race 1

SAMBUOYANT was withdrawn on 8.11.10 by order of the Stewards acting on veterinary advice (lame left fore) and was replaced by Standby Declared Starter FOREST FOUNTAIN. Before being allowed to race again, SAMBUOYANT will be subjected to an official veterinary examination. FULL PACK was slow to begin. WINNING PAL was crowded for room at the start between WESTERN STAR and GRANDWAY FLYER, both of which shifted ground. CHANTILLY began awkwardly, shifted in at the start and bumped MASTER DRAGON. Rounding the turn near the 2000 Metres, CHANTILLY and WINNING PAL bumped, resulting in both horses becoming unbalanced. A short distance after this, CHANTILLY was steadied when momentarily crowded for room inside WINNING PAL. Rounding the Home Turn on the first occasion, WESTERN STAR proved difficult to settle. Rounding the Home Turn, WINNING PAL was held up for clear running. D Beadman (HEALTHY MANNER) was spoken to regarding his use of the whip on a horse which was clearly winning. When questioned, G Cheyne stated that at its most recent start he had been asked to ride FOREST FOUNTAIN in a more forward position. He said however that the circumstances of the race on that occasion meant that he was not able to take up a forward position. He said tonight he was again instructed, from the wide draw, to attempt to have FOREST FOUNTAIN racing either in the lead or just behind the lead. He said it was felt that FOREST FOUNTAIN has not been performing when being ridden back in the field and it was hoped that a change of tactics may benefit the horse. When questioned regarding the improved performance of HEALTHY MANNER, Trainer C S Shum stated that prior to tonight’s race he had been disappointed with each of HEALTHY MANNER’s runs. He said he had been told by a number of the horse’s previous jockeys that it is one-paced and therefore felt that it may be of benefit for HEALTHY MANNER to be stepping up in distance to the 2200 Metres of tonight’s race. He said he had been riding HEALTHY MANNER in a lot of its track work in the lead up to tonight’s race and he was of the opinion that the horse’s track work had improved slightly. He said as he had been advised that HEALTHY MANNER is a one-paced horse, he instructed D Beadman to ride it aggressively in the early stages to see if it would be able to obtain a forward position. He said although he felt that HEALTHY MANNER’s track work had improved, he did not expect the horse to be a strong chance in tonight’s race. A veterinary inspection of FULL PACK after the race did not show any significant findings. WINNING PAL, HEALTHY MANNER and MASTER DRAGON were sent for sampling.