05/05/2013  Shatin  Race 2

Whilst in the saddling stalls, MR SPEEDY had its right front plate refitted. MR SPEEDY was examined by the Veterinary Officer who said in his opinion it was suitable to race. MR SPEEDY began awkwardly, shifted out and bumped KING GALILEO. After this, KING GALILEO, from the outside barrier, was taken across behind runners. When being steadied to allow DANESOUTH to cross after the 1600 Metres, HAPPY KAISER proved difficult to settle and got its head up on a number of occasions. After being left racing wide and without cover in the early stages, CLEMENT SPIRIT was allowed to improve its position for some distance after the 1400 Metres to race outside the leader MR SPEEDY after the 1000 Metres. Passing the 200 Metres, SPICY SIAM, which was laying in, was steadied away from the heels of KINGSTON SPARTACUS (D Whyte) which shifted out around the heels of HAPPY KAISER to obtain clear running. D Whyte was advised to exercise care when shifting ground in similar circumstances. T H So, the rider of MR SPEEDY, momentarily dropped his left rein near the 100 Metres. Over the concluding stages, CLEMENT SPIRIT was steadied away from the heels of BULLISH POWER which itself was awkwardly placed inside the heels of DANESOUTH which shifted in under pressure. The Stewards deferred the declaration of weighed-in as they were of the prima facie view that an incident occurred over the final 150 Metres which cast doubt on whether SMART GUY (Y T Cheng) should be declared the 2nd placegetter of the race. Subsequently D Whyte, the rider of KINGSTON SPARTACUS, 3rd placegetter, lodged a protest/objection against SMART GUY being declared the 2nd placegetter alleging interference to his mount at the 150 Metres. After taking evidence from all parties concerned and after viewing the videos, the Stewards found that near the 150 Metres SMART GUY shifted in under pressure and bumped KINGSTON SPARTACUS, causing both horses to become unbalanced. It was further established that passing the 100 Metres and again approaching the 50 Metres SMART GUY again shifted in, resulting in KINGSTON SPARTACUS becoming unbalanced and racing in restricted room outside HAPPY KAISER. Because of this, KINGSTON SPARTACUS was not able to be properly tested over the concluding stages. Having in mind the short head margin between the horses at the end of the race and the proximity of the incidents to the finishing line, the Stewards were comfortably satisfied that had the interference not occurred KINGSTON SPARTACUS would have finished in front of SMART GUY. Accordingly, the protest/objection was sustained and the placings amended to read No. 5, HAPPY KAISER, 1st; No. 3, KINGSTON SPARTACUS, 2nd; No. 9, SMART GUY, 3rd; and No. 6, DANESOUTH, 4th. When questioned regarding the disappointing performance of SPICY SIAM, Z Purton stated that, as usual, the horse did not show any early speed despite being ridden along. He said this did not concern him as the horse had previously shown the same inclination in its races. He said SPICY SIAM travelled well until approaching the 500 Metres at which time it was not able to sprint when the pace of the race quickened. He said because of this he was not able to maintain the position behind the eventual winner HAPPY KAISER. He said as SPICY SIAM is one-paced, this did not concern him at the time as he thought the horse would slowly work into the race. He added however that SPICY SIAM did not quicken at any stage in the Straight. He said near the 200 Metres the horse got its head on the side, however, it had also shown this tendency previously in its races. He said SPICY SIAM was very disappointing in its failure to respond to his riding in the Straight. After the race, Trainer B K Ng reported that in light of the poor performance today, he would consider adding a tongue tie to the horse’s gear in the future. A veterinary inspection of SPICY SIAM immediately following the race did not show any significant findings. SPICY SIAM, HAPPY KAISER and KINGSTON SPARTACUS were sent for sampling.