16/01/2011  Shatin  Race 2

D Beadman was fined a sum of $3,000 for forcefully jolting at the mouth of SKY MASCOT with his left arm when parading behind the barriers after dismounting from the horse which was fractious. FISHKING GLORY was slow to begin and shortly after the start was steadied away from the heels of LUCKY BOY which shifted out. WELL DONE was slow to begin. From a wide barrier, FORTUNE TOGETHER was taken back. Near the 1000 Metres, FISHKING GLORY, which was proving difficult to settle, was steadied away from the heels of BE GRATEFUL which shifted out slightly. Making the first turn, THUNDER DANCING was steadied when racing in restricted room inside FORTUNE TOGETHER which itself was racing tight to the inside of BE GRATEFUL. A short distance later, FORTUNE TOGETHER was steadied when awkwardly placed close to the heels of BE GRATEFUL. Near the 600 Metres, HEALTHY FARM raced tight between HINYUEN PALADIN and SOLAR BOY which got its head on the side and shifted out slightly. In the early part of the Straight, THUNDER DANCING, WELL NOTED and FORTUNE TOGETHER were held up for clear running. Apprentice C Y Ho (LUCKY BOY) pleaded guilty to a charge of careless riding [Rule 100(1)] in that near the 300 Metres he permitted his mount to shift in when not clear of BE GRATEFUL, resulting in that horse being checked and losing the running to which it was rightfully entitled. Apprentice Ho was suspended from riding in races for a period to expire on Thursday, 10 February 2011 on which day he may resume race riding (3 Hong Kong racedays). The commencement of the suspension was deferred until after the Happy Valley racemeeting on Wednesday, 26 January 2011. Approaching the 200 Metres, BE GRATEFUL was shifted to the outside of the heels of NOTUS when disappointed for running between that horse and HINYUEN PALADIN. Throughout the race, both HINYUEN PALADIN and NOTUS travelled wide and without cover. The performance of WELL DONE, which finished tailed out, was considered unacceptable. Before being allowed to race again, WELL DONE will be required to perform to the satisfaction of the Stewards in an official barrier trial and be subjected to an official veterinary examination. When questioned regarding the disappointing performance of SOLAR BOY, M W Leung stated that the horse bounded in the air at the start and consequently was slow to begin. He said after this he had to ride the horse along for some distance to obtain a forward position as instructed. He said after obtaining the lead inside HEALTHY FARM, SOLAR BOY, in his opinion, did not appear to be comfortable when racing inside other runners. He said he attributed the horse’s disappointing performance to the amount of use he had to make of SOLAR BOY to overcome its poor start. A veterinary inspection of SOLAR BOY after the race did not show any significant findings. A veterinary inspection of NOTUS after the race, which was requested by Trainer A Lee, did not reveal any significant abnormalities. A veterinary inspection of THUNDER DANCING after the race including an endoscopic examination showed a substantial amount of blood in the horse's trachea. Before being allowed to race again, THUNDER DANCING will be subjected to an official veterinary examination. SOLAR BOY, SKY MASCOT and FISHKING GLORY were sent for sampling.