13/03/2013  Happy Valley  Race 8

EMPEROR CLAUDIUS began awkwardly and consequently was slow to begin. This resulted in EMPEROR CLAUDIUS racing back in the field. STEP FASTER shifted out at the start, resulting in LITTLE WIND being crowded for room inside YUE LU TREASURE. AMAZINGLY began awkwardly. Passing the 1300 Metres, SUPERNINSKY proved difficult to settle when being crossed by ONE OF A KIND and consequently was awkwardly placed close to the heels of that horse for a short distance. When being steadied to allow MEGA CHAMPION to cross after the 1300 Metres, STEP FASTER proved difficult to settle and got its head up on a number of occasions. After the 1100 Metres, EMPEROR CLAUDIUS proved difficult to settle. EMPEROR CLAUDIUS then continued to prove difficult to settle and near the 800 Metres became unbalanced when being checked away from the heels of YUE LU TREASURE. Near the 250 Metres, AMAZINGLY raced in restricted room inside SUPERNINSKY which got its head on the side and shifted in. Then near the 100 Metres, AMAZINGLY shifted out and bumped the hindquarters of SUPERNINSKY. After this, AMAZINGLY and SUPERNINSKY raced tight until the concluding stages. Near the 100 Metres, the whip of Apprentice C Y Lui (GOOD LUCK WIN) was knocked from his grasp by the whip of M Chadwick (MEGA CHAMPION). In the Straight, EMPEROR CLAUDIUS hung in under pressure. When questioned, W M Lai stated that he had been asked to ride SPIRIT SOARING in 3rd or 4th position if possible. He said, from barrier 11, he commenced to shift across behind MEGA CHAMPION as it appeared to him that that horse would be ridden in a forward position. He said he commenced riding his mount along shortly after the start to obtain a forward position, however, SPIRIT SOARING, despite being ridden along in the run to the winning post on the first occasion, was slow to muster speed. He said in the early stages he was left racing in a four wide position and he continued to allow his mount to stride forward and was able to shift in to a three wide position without cover after the 1200 Metres. He said he did consider allowing his mount to improve his position as he felt the tempo of the race was not strong at that time, however, he felt that MEGA CHAMPION would be ridden along to maintain its position and would not, in all likelihood, hand up to SPIRIT SOARING and allow his mount to cross, therefore he elected to remain racing three wide without cover but remained balanced and travelling comfortably. W M Lai was advised that he should have made more effort in the initial stages of the race to ride to his instructions. He was also advised that, in the opinion of the Stewards, he should have made an attempt to improve his position to be racing closer to the rail rather than racing three wide and without cover after the 1200 Metres. He was further advised to ensure that he rides his mounts in such a manner so that they are able to finish off their races wherever possible. When questioned regarding his riding of YUE LU TREASURE rounding the Home Turn, Y T Cheng stated that during its preliminary the horse did not appear to be comfortable in its action and he brought this matter to the attention of the Veterinary Officer positioned at the Start. He said however that after being trotted up, YUE LU TREASURE appeared to be more comfortable in its action and for this reason he was comfortable to ride the horse after it was cleared to run by the Veterinary Officer. He said he rode his mount vigorously in the early stages to take up a forward position as instructed, however, YUE LU TREASURE did not stretch out in the early stages and its action was not as fluent as it was at its most recent start when he rode the horse. He said passing the 500 Metres he slapped the horse down the shoulder to have it maintain its position outside of ENTHUSING, however, YUE LU TREASURE lost ground at this time and he became concerned as to the horse’s action rounding the Home Turn, therefore he allowed it to become balanced rounding the Home Turn and in the early part of the Straight before placing it under pressure. He said whilst YUE LU TREASURE did make up some ground in the run to the winning post, nonetheless the horse’s action remained of concern. YUE LU TREASURE will be examined by the Veterinary Officer tomorrow. In the meantime, the Stewards ruled that prior to being permitted to race again, YUE LU TREASURE will be required to undergo an official veterinary examination. After the race, the Veterinary Officer reported that NOBLE DE BEST had lost its left front plate. A veterinary inspection of EMPEROR CLAUDIUS and STEP FASTER immediately following the race did not show any significant findings. ONE OF A KIND and ENTHUSING were sent for sampling. <14/3/2013 Additional Veterinary Report>An examination of YUE LU TREASURE also did not reveal any significant findings.