09/11/2014  Shatin  Race 10

JOLLY VICTOR was withdrawn on 8.11.14 by order of the Stewards acting on veterinary advice (fever) and was replaced by Standby Declared Starter PO CHING TREASURE (K Teetan). Before being allowed to race again, JOLLY VICTOR will be subjected to an official veterinary examination. Whilst in the saddling stalls, PO CHING TREASURE had its left front plate refitted. PO CHING TREASURE was examined by the Veterinary Officer who said in his opinion it was suitable to race. PO CHING TREASURE and LITTLE MEN were slow to begin. BEAUTY ONLY began awkwardly. TABLEAUX was shifted across behind runners in the early stages. Rounding the Home Turn, BEAUTY ONLY was awkwardly placed close to the heels of FLYING ELITE. FLAME HERO lost its right hind plate near the 400 Metres. At the 400 Metres, PRESIDENT LINCOLN lost ground when crowded for room between GUN PIT and BEAUTY ONLY (N Callan) which, when awkwardly placed close to the heels of FLAME HERO, was obliged to shift out away from the heels of that horse which shifted ground of its own accord after initially being taken out by SMILING WATCH. As the Stewards were of the opinion that there were some circumstances with this incident, no further action was taken, however, N Callan was advised to ensure that, wherever possible, he exercises due care when shifting ground. Near the 350 Metres, PRESIDENT LINCOLN was steadied away from the heels of GUN PIT which shifted in. Throughout the race, GUN PIT and DR GOOD HABIT travelled wide and without cover. When questioned regarding his riding of SMILING WATCH, Apprentice K C Ng stated that it was agreed between himself and Trainer K L Man that SMILING WATCH should be ridden in a forward position from barrier 13 as the horse was carrying a light weight and there was only a limited number of horses in the field that were expected to take up forward positions. He said it was felt that SMILING WATCH would be able to overcome its wide barrier and be able to dictate the terms of the race. He said after crossing into the lead near the 1300 Metres, he immediately attempted to steady the tempo on SMILING WATCH, however, the horse would not relax and, despite his attempts, was running at a faster tempo than he had hoped. He added he was reluctant to restrain his mount any further as he did not want it to become unbalanced, nonetheless he believed that he had made a reasonable effort to steady the tempo on SMILING WATCH so that it could finish off the race. Apprentice Ng was advised that his explanation would be reported, however, he must ride his mounts with sufficient judgement to ensure that, wherever possible, they are able to finish off their races. A veterinary inspection of GUN PIT immediately following the race did not show any significant findings. BEAUTY ONLY and FLAME HERO were sent for sampling.