18/03/2020  Happy Valley  Race 3

KING’S EMINENCE was withdrawn on 17.3.20 by order of the Stewards acting on veterinary advice (blood abnormality and substantial amount of mucus on scope) and was replaced by Standby Declared Starter GOODLUCK GOODLUCK (M L Yeung). Before being allowed to race again, KING’S EMINENCE will be subjected to an official veterinary examination. LITTLE BIRD began only fairly. SUPER JUNIOR began awkwardly, then shifted out and was steadied away from the heels of GOODLUCK GOODLUCK. Soon after the start, AMAZING KIWI (K Teetan) shifted out abruptly, resulting in MIG ENERGY being taken out onto MOMENTUM GALAXY which was taken out onto the heels of FRUSTRATED. As a consequence, MOMENTUM GALAXY clipped the heels of FRUSTRATED, blundered badly and lost ground. The Stewards were satisfied that K Teetan reacted in a timely manner to straighten his mount when it shifted ground. When being ridden along soon after the start, LITTLE BIRD shifted out and made contact with the hindquarters of EXPLOSIVE WITNESS. A short distance later, EXPLOSIVE WITNESS was bumped by AMAZING KIWI which shifted in. When EXPLOSIVE WITNESS (B Shinn) was steadied to avoid the heels of AMAZING KIWI which shifted in when not sufficiently clear approaching the 800 Metres, B Shinn briefly lost contact with his right rein which resulted in EXPLOSIVE WITNESS remaining awkwardly placed behind AMAZING KIWI for a short distance. K Teetan was reprimanded and advised to provide sufficient clearance when shifting ground. At the entrance to the Straight, G UNIT and MIG ENERGY came into contact which resulted in G UNIT becoming badly unbalanced. At the 250 Metres, GOODLUCK GOODLUCK became unbalanced when shifted in to obtain a run to the inside of LITTLE BIRD. Close to the finishing line, M F Poon stopped riding and straightened BALTIC WHISPER as it shifted in under pressure towards SPECIAL STARS. Over the concluding stages, GOODLUCK GOODLUCK was awkwardly placed inside LITTLE BIRD and was unable to be fully tested. Throughout the race, FRUSTRATED and G UNIT travelled wide and without cover. K Teetan pleaded guilty to being in breach of Stewards’ Instruction 22(3) in that he used his whip in an improper manner by striking AMAZING KIWI down the shoulder in the Straight. Whilst Jockey Teetan had recently incurred a riding suspension for similar breaches of this Instruction, in this particular case, given that he only struck the horse on two occasions, the Stewards determined that it was appropriate for a fine of $25,000 to be imposed. A veterinary inspection of SUPER JUNIOR immediately following the race found that horse to be a "roarer” which had previously been reported. A veterinary inspection of FRUSTRATED and G UNIT immediately following the race did not show any significant findings. LITTLE BIRD, VERY SWEET ORANGE and AMAZING KIWI were sent for sampling. <19/3/2020 Additional Veterinary Report>The Veterinary Officer reported that SPECIAL STARS was lame in its right front leg on the morning after racing. Before being allowed to race again, SPECIAL STARS will be subjected to an official veterinary examination.