17/06/2012  Shatin  Race 8

GREEN ZONE shifted out at the start, resulting in JOYFUL LUCK being hampered. After the 1000 Metres, BO BO EXPRESS proved very difficult to settle when being steadied to allow LOADS OF JOY to cross. For some distance after this, BO BO EXPRESS was awkwardly placed close to the heels of LOADS OF JOY. When questioned regarding his riding of LUCKY GAINS, B Prebble stated that the horse had previously trialed on the All Weather surface on one occasion and, in his opinion, this trial had been disappointing as it finished last and was beaten a considerable margin. He said because of this he was asked to ride LUCKY GAINS where it was comfortable. He said LUCKY GAINS began well and shortly after the start he shifted LUCKY GAINS to race behind TURIN CHAMPION. He said however that the tempo of the race was genuine and LUCKY GAINS came off the bridle and was not able to maintain its position behind TURIN CHAMPION. He said he niggled at the horse to have it improve its position to prevent MAGNUMOUS from crossing, however, LUCKY GAINS was not travelling well enough at this time to be further forward in the race. He added he rode his mount along after the 700 Metres to have it improve its position and LUCKY GAINS commenced to travel better. He said he continued to ride LUCKY GAINS out rounding the Home Turn and in the early part of the Straight shifted his mount out wide to ensure it had clear running. He said after making contact with QUANTUM POWER prior to the 200 Metres LUCKY GAINS finished off the race strongly when ridden out in the Straight. He added that he used the whip on LUCKY GAINS on a number of occasions, however, he did not believe that it was necessary for the horse to be further ridden out with the whip as LUCKY GAINS was finishing off the race strongly and at its best. B Prebble was advised that his explanation would be reported, however, in the opinion of the Stewards, he should have made more of an effort to maintain his position in the early stages rather than having LUCKY GAINS get out of its ground. When questioned regarding the disappointing performance of MONEYMAKER, D Whyte stated that he had been instructed to lead if possible, however, the horse did not show sufficient early speed to take up this position. He said after being obliged to race behind runners, MONEYMAKER, which was having its first start on the All Weather surface today, resented the kickback and because of this was reluctant to stride out. He said although MONEYMAKER gave ground in the Straight, he believed that the horse did not appear to be suited by racing on today’s surface. A veterinary inspection of MONEYMAKER including an endoscopic examination after the race showed a substantial amount of blood in the horse's trachea. Before being allowed to race again, MONEYMAKER will be subjected to an official veterinary examination. When questioned regarding the disappointing performance of QUANTUM POWER, O Doleuze stated that it had been decided to apply blinkers to the horse today as it has been reluctant to race amongst runners in some of its recent races. He said in track work QUANTUM POWER had performed very well with the blinkers on and the application of this equipment appeared to sharpen up the horse. He said QUANTUM POWER began very awkwardly today and shortly after the start was steadied away from the heels of JOYFUL LUCK which was taken out by GREEN ZONE. He said this resulted in QUANTUM POWER racing further back in the field than had been intended. He said after this he allowed QUANTUM POWER to improve its position which it was able to do so without having to be ridden along. He said in the middle stages and rounding the Home Turn QUANTUM POWER travelled extremely well and he was confident that the horse would finish off the race strongly. He said however that QUANTUM POWER quickly came under pressure in the early part of the Straight and despite being bumped by LUCKY GAINS near the 200 Metres was a beaten horse at this time. He added that after this QUANTUM POWER gave ground noticeably in the run to the finishing line. A veterinary inspection of QUANTUM POWER after the race did not show any significant findings. The performance of QUANTUM POWER was considered unacceptable. Before being allowed to race again, QUANTUM POWER will be required to perform to the satisfaction of the Stewards in an official barrier trial and be subjected to an official veterinary examination. After the race, the Veterinary Officer reported that BO BO EXPRESS had bled from both nostrils. A veterinary inspection of JOYFUL LUCK including an endoscopic examination after the race showed a substantial amount of blood in the horse's trachea. Before being allowed to race again, JOYFUL LUCK will be subjected to an official veterinary examination. A veterinary inspection of COSTA DEL SOL after the race did not show any significant findings. COSTA DEL SOL, SKY MASCOT and TURIN CHAMPION were sent for sampling.