05/01/2020  Shatin  Race 3

VALIANT DREAM was withdrawn on 4.1.20 by order of the Stewards acting on veterinary advice (lame left fore) and was replaced by Standby Declared Starter SUPER JUNIOR (C Schofield). Before being allowed to race again, VALIANT DREAM will be subjected to an official veterinary examination. After being loaded into the barriers, HAPPY TIME became fractious and reared on a number of occasions, resulting in its rider, K C Leung, being dislodged without incident. Having regard to HAPPY TIME’s previous record in the barriers, the Stewards ruled that the horse must perform satisfactorily in a barrier trial before being allowed to race again. When HAPPY TIME became fractious, CALIFORNIA ARCHER also became fractious and reared, resulting in its rider, Apprentice K H Chan, being dislodged without incident. Before being allowed to race again, CALIFORNIA ARCHER will be required to perform satisfactorily in a stalls test. KASI FARASI shifted out at the start, resulting in UTOPIA LIFE being crowded for room inside PING HAI GALAXY and causing all three horses to become unbalanced. REYNOLDS began only fairly. SO GLORIOUS began awkwardly and raced greenly throughout the event and shifted ground on a number of occasions. GOKO shifted out on jumping and inconvenienced HAPPY TIME. Near the 50 Metres, GOKO was awkwardly placed behind SUPER JUNIOR. When questioned regarding his riding of COMFORT LIFE, particularly in the middle stages, M F Poon stated that he was instructed to ensure that the horse did not get too far out of its ground racing over 1000 Metres today. He said he was further instructed to ensure that COMFORT LIFE was able to utilize its barrier and to have the horse as handy as possible. He said in the early stages he rode his mount along to ensure that it was able to obtain a trailing position behind HAPPY TIME and GOKO and he was comfortable with this position as he believed that both horses, particularly GOKO, would be able to take his mount into the race. He said after the 600 Metres he shifted COMFORT LIFE in from behind HAPPY TIME to follow GOKO as he believed that this horse would be a better chance of the two horses to take his mount further into the race. He said at this stage he looked to his inside and established that SO GLORIOUS was racing to the inside of GOKO and therefore he elected to continue following GOKO into the race. He added when GOKO and HAPPY TIME did not quicken as he anticipated, this resulted in COMFORT LIFE being held up for clear running from near the 400 Metres until passing the 350 Metres at which stage he directed COMFORT LIFE to the inside of GOKO. He said he then rode COMFORT LIFE along and the horse quickened well and passing the 200 Metres he had to direct COMFORT LIFE in away from the heels of LARSON to continue improving. He added near the 150 Metres clear running developed between LARSON and PING HAI GALAXY and he rode his mount strongly over the concluding stages. M F Poon was advised that whilst the Stewards accepted that when he initially looked to his inside to establish whether clear running was available to the inside of GOKO approaching the 500 Metres, SO GLORIOUS was positioned inside that horse and therefore a clear run between GOKO and SO GLORIOUS did not exist. He was further advised, in the opinion of the Stewards, a clear run developed to the inside of GOKO near the 400 Metres and he should have been alert to this run becoming available so that COMFORT LIFE was able to improve its position quicker than it did on this occasion. He was told to ensure that he is alert to the opportunity to improve his position, particularly at a crucial stage of the race. A veterinary inspection of GOKO immediately following the race found that horse to be displaying an abnormal respiratory noise. An endoscopic examination of GOKO revealed that horse to be a "roarer”. A veterinary inspection of SUPER JUNIOR immediately following the race also found that horse to be displaying an abnormal respiratory noise. However, an endoscopic examination of SUPER JUNIOR did not reveal any significant findings. UTOPIA LIFE, BALTIC WHISPER and KA YING MASTER were sent for sampling.