06/09/2020  Shatin  Race 10

AMAZING ONE PLUS, Standby Declared Starter, was withdrawn on 5.9.20 by order of the Stewards acting on veterinary advice (lame right fore). Before being allowed to race again, AMAZING ONE PLUS will be subjected to an official veterinary examination. On arrival at the Start, Z Purton expressed concern regarding the action of HAPPY FUN when proceeding to the barriers. A veterinary examination of HAPPY FUN found that horse to be suitable to race and after the necessary consultations HAPPY FUN was permitted to start. Also on arrival at the Start, FLASHCARD, which was found to have blood in its mouth, was examined by the Veterinary Officer who said in his opinion it was suitable to race. AMAZING BEATS was slow to begin. RACING FIGHTER shifted out at the start and bumped KING OPIE. MONICA began awkwardly. NORTHERN SUPERSTAR shifted out at the start and made contact with SUPER WEALTHY. KYRUS UNICORN shifted in at the start and bumped the hindquarters of HAPPY FUN. After this, from a wide barrier, KYRUS UNICORN was steadied to obtain cover. From the outside barrier, STAR SHINE was steadied in the early stages to obtain cover. Approaching the 1000 Metres, NORTHERN SUPERSTAR and SUPER OASIS raced tight. Near the 150 Metres, SUPER WEALTHY was shifted to the inside of BEAUTY APPLAUSE when that horse drifted out under pressure. When questioned regarding the performance of HAPPY FUN, Z Purton stated that on entering the track the horse did not feel comfortable in its action, however, HAPPY FUN appeared to free up behind the barriers and he was comfortable to ride the horse. He said he had to make considerable use of HAPPY FUN in the early stages to obtain a forward position as instructed and had to ride it aggressively after the 1100 Metres in order to clear BEAUTY APPLAUSE. He said in some of its track work HAPPY FUN had been reluctant to work off, however, today the amount of use that he had to make of HAPPY FUN was concerning. He said after crossing to race outside the lead prior to the 900 Metres, HAPPY FUN travelled only fairly and then came heavy pressure at the entrance to the Straight. He said, despite being ridden out, HAPPY FUN gave ground noticeably after the 400 Metres and as he had concerns with the horse, he eased it down over the concluding stages. He added in its barrier trial in the lead up to today’s race, HAPPY FUN had disappointed him in the manner in which it gave ground in the Straight. He said after easing down HAPPY FUN in the latter stages of today’s race, he was not able to detect any abnormalities with the horse other than HAPPY FUN did not appear to be going as well of late as it was earlier last season. A veterinary inspection of HAPPY FUN immediately following the race did not show any significant findings. The performance of HAPPY FUN, which finished tailed out, was considered unacceptable. Before being allowed to race again, HAPPY FUN will be required to perform to the satisfaction of the Stewards in an official barrier trial and be subjected to an official veterinary examination which must include additional diagnostic assessments. After the race, A Badel stated that SUPER WEALTHY, which was having its first start since 1 March 2020, raced keenly in the lead and in particular when HAPPY FUN improved to its outside near the 1000 Metres. He said because of the time between races and the fact that SUPER WEALTHY travelled keenly, the horse then tired over the latter stages. A veterinary inspection of SUPER WEALTHY immediately following the race did not show any significant findings. BEAUTY APPLAUSE, MONGOLIAN KING and BALLISTIC KING were sent for sampling.