10/07/2013  Happy Valley  Race 7

ROMAN SOLDIER was withdrawn on 9.7.13 by order of the Stewards acting on veterinary advice (lame left fore) and was replaced by Standby Declared Starter GOOD WORDS (D Whyte). Before being allowed to race again, ROMAN SOLDIER will be subjected to an official veterinary examination. After being loaded, WINDICATOR STAR became very fractious and put its head down abruptly, resulting in the barrier stall handler being pulled down and having to exit under the front gate. When WINDICATOR STAR became fractious, LUCKY DOUBLE EIGHT, which was in the adjoining stall, also became fractious and reared. Having regard to WINDICATOR STAR’s previous record of behaviour in the barrier stalls, the Stewards ruled that prior to being permitted to race again, WINDICATOR STAR will be required to undergo a series of consecutive satisfactory official barrier trials. Before being permitted to race again, LUCKY DOUBLE EIGHT will be required to perform satisfactorily in a stalls test. WINDICATOR STAR was then slow to begin. TALLEY CLOSE, which was leaning on the outside of its stall, began awkwardly and lost ground. BULLISH FRIEND began awkwardly, got its head up, shifted out and bumped DESTINED FOR GLORY. Approaching the 500 Metres, LUCKY DOUBLE EIGHT was taken wider by IMPERIAL ROME which shifted to the outside of DESTINED FOR GLORY. After this, LUCKY DOUBLE EIGHT got its head on the side and shifted out further away from IMPERIAL ROME. Close to the finishing line, NEW DEERFIELD was awkwardly placed behind GOOD WORDS and inside TALLEY CLOSE. In the Straight, IMPERIAL ROME shifted out under pressure. A veterinary inspection of WINDICATOR STAR immediately following the race did not show any significant findings. GOOD WORDS, DESTINED FOR GLORY and BULLISH FRIEND were sent for sampling.