06/05/2018  Shatin  Race 11

COMFORT LIFE and HEZTHEWONFORUS bumped at the start. TAKING AIM shifted out at the start and bumped STORM SOLDIER, resulting in that horse becoming unbalanced. After this, STORM SOLDIER was shifted across behind runners in the early stages. Also from wide barriers, ROUNDABOUT, HIGH SPIRIT and ENCOURAGING were all shifted across behind runners in the early stages. Rounding the first turn after the 900 Metres, POWERMAX shifted out and made contact with HAPPY GUY, resulting in both horses becoming unbalanced. Passing the 500 Metres, POWERMAX got its head on the side and lay out and in doing so hampered HAPPY GUY and WIN BEAUTY WIN. Throughout the race, HAPPY GUY travelled wide and without cover. The Stewards considered a protest/objection lodged by Z Purton, the rider of WIN BEAUTY WIN, which finished 2nd, against HEZTHEWONFORUS which finished 1st alleging interference to his mount over about the final 200 Metres. It was established that approaching the 150 Metres HEZTHEWONFORUS shifted out to be racing tight inside WIN BEAUTY WIN and that the horses brushed slightly at this time with the contact between them being minimal. It was further established that after this WIN BEAUTY WIN shifted out of its own accord away from HEZTHEWONFORUS which itself drifted out and that whilst the horses again raced tight near the 50 Metres, there was no discernible contact between them. The Stewards were of the opinion that grounds for the protest/objection did not exist and accordingly overruled Jockey Purton’s protest/objection. Z Purton was consequently fined the sum of $5,000 for lodging what the Stewards considered to be a frivolous protest/objection. When questioned regarding his riding in the early part of the Straight, D Whyte stated that at its most recent start when making its run to the outside of horses, ENCOURAGING hung in and proved very difficult to ride. He said therefore it was believed that it would be best for ENCOURAGING to make its run in between runners as this may assist it in finishing off the race more genuinely. He said after the 600 Metres he considered shifting to the outside of GO PUBLIC to follow GREAT PROFIT, however, GO PUBLIC was commencing to shift out rounding the Home Turn and he therefore elected to obtain a run to the inside of that horse at the entrance to the Straight. He said after improving to be racing to the inside of the heels of GO PUBLIC, that horse shifted in after the 400 Metres and as HAPPY GUY, which was racing in advance of ENCOURAGING, was giving ground abruptly, he hesitated in improving between those two horses as the run was commencing to tighten. He said he called to the rider of GO PUBLIC passing the 350 Metres and that horse was consequently directed out whereby he was able to commence to fully test ENCOURAGING. He added ENCOURAGING was then momentarily awkwardly placed close to the heels of TAKING AIM after the 100 Metres. He said whilst it was available to him to steady ENCOURAGING after the 400 Metres to shift to the outside of GO PUBLIC, he believed that this would have cost the horse momentum as he would have had to give ground to shift to the outside of GO PUBLIC and therefore it was a better option to pursue the run that was available to the inside of that horse. After considering Jockey Whyte’s explanation and after viewing the videos, the Stewards took no further action. A veterinary inspection of COMFORT LIFE immediately following the race did not show any significant findings. HEZTHEWONFORUS and WIN BEAUTY WIN were sent for sampling.