08/02/2014  Shatin  Race 8

BUNDLE OF LOVE shifted in at the start, resulting in SHAHJEE being crowded for room. PERFECT FINISH and LORD SINCLAIR bumped at the start. CHEETAH BOY shifted out on jumping and bumped GREAT SPIRIT. Making the turn near the 700 Metres, WAH MAY STAR was steadied away from the heels of SHAHJEE which shifted in when awkwardly placed close to the heels of GOOD WORDS. Passing the 700 Metres, SILVER GRECIAN shifted out when awkwardly placed close to the heels of LORD SINCLAIR. Rounding the Home Turn, GREAT SPIRIT raced in restricted room between WAH MAY STAR and FULFIL A WISH which shifted out and then in the early part of the Straight was awkwardly placed close to the heels of SHAHJEE. Throughout the race, GOOD WORDS travelled wide and without cover. When questioned regarding the disappointing performance of LORD SINCLAIR, B Prebble stated that he was not under any specific instructions on how the horse should be ridden from barrier 10. He said after LORD SINCLAIR began only fairly, he was reluctant to use the horse up in the early stages to obtain a forward position as it was carrying top weight and with the make-up of the field LORD SINCLAIR may have been left racing quite wide. He said he did not have any concerns with riding LORD SINCLAIR from off the speed as the horse had previously shown versatility where it can be positioned in its races. He said however that after shifting across initially to race behind SMART VOLATILITY, he was unable to maintain his position behind that horse as LORD SINCLAIR did not travel well in the early stages. He said after being momentarily awkwardly placed close to the heels of SHAHJEE which shifted out passing the 1000 Metres, LORD SINCLAIR immediately came off the bridle and despite being ridden along was reluctant to maintain its position. He added he continued to ride LORD SINCLAIR along including using the whip on the horse in the middle stages, however, LORD SINCLAIR did not travel well for him. He said after giving a limited response in the early part of the Straight, LORD SINCLAIR did not close off the race strongly in the Straight and, in his opinion, was very disappointing. B Prebble added that LORD SINCLAIR can become stirred up prior to its races, however, today the horse paraded well and remained calm behind the barriers. He said whilst LORD SINCLAIR became slightly agitated when the blindfold was removed in the barriers, this did not have any impact on the horse’s performance. Trainer S Woods stated that he had envisaged that today’s race would be run at a more solid tempo in the early stages, but nonetheless was satisfied with B Prebble’s positioning of LORD SINCLAIR in the early stages. He said LORD SINCLAIR did not appear to travel well at any stage in the race as it had done in its previous races on the All Weather surface. He added the horse had barrier trialed very well on two occasions leading up to today’s race and its track work had been good. A veterinary inspection of LORD SINCLAIR immediately following the race revealed the horse to be lame in its left front leg. Before being allowed to race again, LORD SINCLAIR will be subjected to an official veterinary examination. A veterinary inspection of SILVER GRECIAN and WAH MAY STAR immediately following the race did not show any significant findings. LORD SINCLAIR, SMART VOLATILITY and BUNDLE OF LOVE were sent for sampling.