09/04/2012  Shatin  Race 9

After being loaded, RUN THE DISTANCE became fractious. Before being allowed to race again, RUN THE DISTANCE will be required to perform satisfactorily in a stalls test. FUN HEROES began awkwardly, shifted out and bumped DELTA HEDGE. HEALTHY BLUEBERRY shifted in at the start, resulting in BANKSTERS BONUS being taken in onto LET’S GOAL which was crowded for room between that horse and EAGLE SPIRIT. After this, LET’S GOAL was taken across behind runners. Passing the winning post on the first occasion, JOLLY GOOD was crowded for room inside RUN THE DISTANCE which itself was awkwardly placed close to the heels of DELTA HEDGE which, when being steadied to obtain a position behind FUN HEROES, was taken in slightly by EAGLE SPIRIT (T Angland) which shifted in. T Angland was advised that whilst there were some circumstances with this incident, nonetheless his shift was the primary cause of the crowding to the horses to his inside. He was further advised to ensure in future that he leaves sufficient racing room for runners to his inside. At the entrance to the Straight, LET’S GOAL was awkwardly placed close to the heels of JOLLY GOOD which itself was shifted in away from the heels of RUN THE DISTANCE. Close to the finishing line, OLE OLE was crowded for room between FLYING CHINA and FUN HEROES which shifted out when giving ground. When questioned, A Suborics stated that prior to today’s race he had studied the videos of CHATER D’CAT’s races as well as those of other runners in the race. He said as CHATER D’CAT, in his opinion, had not been closing off its races when ridden towards the rear of the field and as there did not appear to him to be significant pace in the race, on arrival in the Parade Ring today, he requested of the connections if he could ride CHATER D’CAT more positively in the early stages to overcome the horse’s wide barrier. He said after the connections acceded to his request, he rode CHATER D’CAT along in the early stages and was able to obtain a forward position passing the winning post on the first occasion. He said when ridden in a forward position, CHATER D’CAT, in his opinion, performed well. When questioned regarding the disappointing performance of BANKSTERS BONUS, B Prebble stated that his mount travelled strongly in the race in about a midfield position. He said approaching the 600 Metres he commenced to shift BANKSTERS BONUS out from behind EAGLE SPIRIT, however, BANKSTERS BONUS immediately came under pressure. He said at this time he was obliged to commence to ride BANKSTERS BONUS along vigorously to maintain its position behind EAGLE SPIRIT, however, despite his riding BANKSTERS BONUS did not respond and commenced to give ground. He added at the entrance to the Straight he changed his whip over to the right hand to see if this would assist BANKSTERS BONUS in finishing off the race, however, BANKSTERS BONUS’ action shortened noticeably and it weakened out of the race over the final 300 Metres. He said whilst he was not able to detect any immediate soreness in BANKSTERS BONUS, nonetheless the horse’s action did not feel comfortable to him. Before being allowed to race again, BANKSTERS BONUS will be subjected to an official veterinary examination. A veterinary inspection of FUN HEROES and BANKSTERS BONUS after the race did not show any significant findings. HEALTHY BLUEBERRY, DELTA HEDGE and INTERCHINA STAR were sent for sampling.