23/09/2010  Happy Valley  Race 5

REWARDING STAR began awkwardly and lost a considerable amount of ground at the start. From a wide barrier, HOME WITH GLORY was taken across behind runners shortly after the start. Passing the winning post on the first occasion, REWARDING STAR, which had been hard ridden to obtain a more forward position, was severely checked when crowded for room inside ELECTRONIC MASTER which at this time got its head on the side and shifted in away from horses to its outside despite the efforts of its rider, B Prebble. A short distance later, INDUSTRIAL HERO raced tight between ELECTRONIC MASTER and WIN-A-LOT which shifted in before being directed back out abruptly to alleviate tightening to runners to its inside, resulting in SPARKLING FEELING being taken wider. As the Stewards were of the opinion that the check to REWARDING STAR had been as a direct result of ELECTRONIC MASTER laying in at this time, no further action was taken. Near the 1200 Metres, REWARDING STAR was checked away from the heels of HOW WONDERFUL and as a result lost ground. When questioned, W M Lai (BULB TREASURE) stated that he obtained a position one off the fence outside JOLLY WONGCHOY passing the winning post on the first occasion. He said however that JOLLY WONGCHOY shifted away from the fence passing the 1300 Metres which resulted in BULB TREASURE racing wider. He said therefore he elected to attempt to obtain a position behind JOLLY WONGCHOY, however, BLEDISLOE maintained its position on the back of JOLLY WONGCHOY and for this reason he was not able to obtain cover behind JOLLY WONGCHOY and consequently raced wide and without cover for the remainder of the race. When questioned, W C Marwing stated that HOW WONDERFUL is a horse which takes some time to gather momentum and therefore he feels that it is best suited when able to obtain continuous clear running. He said that shortly after entering the Straight he considered taking a run to the inside of WIN-A-LOT which became available after SPARKLING FEELING, which had been racing to that horse’s inside, shifted in. He said however he elected to continue to come to the outside of WIN-A-LOT as he felt that had he had proceeded to the inside of that horse, HOW WONDERFUL may have been held up for clear running at a later stage in the Straight which may not have been in the horse’s best interests. He said at the time of shifting to the outside of WIN-A-LOT, he believed there was clear and unimpeded running between that horse and HOME WITH GLORY and felt that this, under the circumstances, would be a better option than attempting to obtain a run to WIN-A-LOT’s inside. A veterinary inspection of ELECTRONIC MASTER after the race did not show any significant findings. JOLLY WONGCHOY, BLEDISLOE and TOP DRAGON were sent for sampling.