11/06/2011  Shatin  Race 5

TRAVEL GUIDE was withdrawn on 10.6.11 by order of the Stewards acting on veterinary advice (inappetance). Before being allowed to race again, TRAVEL GUIDE will be subjected to an official veterinary examination. After being loaded, CAGA SPIRIT became fractious. Before being allowed to race again, CAGA SPIRIT will be required to perform satisfactorily in a stalls test. SOHNA began awkwardly. MONTE CRISTO shifted out at the start and bumped CHAMPION STAR. In the early stages, CHAMPION STAR proved very difficult to settle. After the 1000 Metres, DIVIDEND CHAMPION was left racing wide and without cover. In the Straight, WATCH FIRST got its head on the side, lay in and proved difficult to ride. WATCH FIRST shifted in near the 100 Metres and brushed DIVIDEND CHAMPION. Over the concluding stages, DIVIDEND CHAMPION shifted in and bumped SUPER HORSE, resulting in both horses becoming unbalanced. When questioned, Apprentice K C Ng stated that he had been instructed to ride TREASURE GLITTER in about 5th or 6th position if possible. He said it was felt that the horse had raced in too forward a position last start and accordingly the connections of TREASURE GLITTER wanted the horse ridden slightly more patiently. He said in the early stages he was racing to the outside of DIVIDEND CHAMPION and he felt that had he have ridden TREASURE GLITTER forward to cross that horse, this would have been contrary to his instructions and therefore resulted in the horse racing in a forward position as it did last start. He added for this reason he elected to steady TREASURE GLITTER and obtain a position with cover behind DIVIDEND CHAMPION. He said this resulted in TREASURE GLITTER racing slightly further back in the field than had been intended. When questioned, Z Purton stated that he had been instructed to ride DRAGON VICTORY where it was comfortable. He said from a wide barrier DRAGON VICTORY began well and he allowed the horse to stride forward in the early stages. He said that DRAGON VICTORY was left racing wide in the early stages and he felt that he would have had to make considerable use of the horse to attempt to clear runners to his inside, for this reason he allowed DRAGON VICTORY to drift back in the field and obtain a position with cover behind TREASURE GLITTER. When questioned regarding the performance of SUPER HORSE, O Doleuze stated that although his mount was slow to begin and had to be ridden along in the early stages to make up lost ground, SUPER HORSE travelled well in the early and middle stages when racing behind JUGGERNAUT. He said the tempo of the race in the early and middle stages was not fast and for this reason when DIVIDEND CHAMPION commenced to improve around SUPER HORSE approaching the 600 Metres, he elected to shift to the outside of JUGGERNAUT rather than to be caught behind that horse when the field sprinted. He added although this resulted in SUPER HORSE being asked for an effort slightly earlier in the race than he would have liked, this did not account for SUPER HORSE’s failure to close off the race in the Straight. He said although SUPER HORSE raced tight inside DIVIDEND CHAMPION near the 200 Metres, in his opinion, the horse was disappointing. He did say the only reason he could find for the horse’s disappointing performance was that it may not have backed up after its last start success. A veterinary inspection of DRAGON VICTORY and SUPER HORSE after the race did not show any significant findings. SUPER HORSE, GREAT GUY and WATCH FIRST were sent for sampling. <13/6/2011 Additional Veterinary Report>The Clinical Veterinary Surgeon reported that GREAT GUY was lame in the left front leg after racing. Before being allowed to race again, GREAT GUY will be subjected to an official veterinary examination.