13/03/2021  Shatin  Race 4

SPEED FORCE was withdrawn on 12.3.21 by order of the Stewards acting on veterinary advice (blood abnormality) and was replaced by Standby Declared Starter ALLOY KING. Before being allowed to race again, SPEED FORCE will be subjected to an official veterinary examination. REGENCY GEM began only fairly. APOLAR WARRIOR was slow to begin. SHINEALOT shifted out at the start and bumped INDIGENOUS STAR. GOLDEN GENERAL began awkwardly. Passing the 1500 Metres, REEVE’S MUNTJAC, when being ridden along, became unbalanced when awkwardly placed outside the heels of SURE WIN WIN. Passing the 1300 Metres, SHINEALOT was steadied away from the heels of ROSSE SCARPE (H N Wong) which shifted in when not properly clear. H N Wong was reprimanded and told to ensure that he is sufficiently clear of other runners when shifting ground in similar circumstances. H T Mo (WICKER) pleaded guilty to a charge of careless riding [Rule 100(1)] in that passing the 1100 Metres he permitted his mount to shift in when not clear of SEIZE THE SPIRIT, causing that horse to be checked and to shift in across the right the running of ROSSE SCARPE which was severely checked and in turn shifted in across the running of SURE WIN WIN which was also severely checked. H T Mo was suspended from riding in races for a period to commence on Sunday, 21 March 2021 and to expire on Monday, 29 March 2021 on which day he may resume race riding (3 Hong Kong racedays). In assessing penalty, the Stewards took into account the high degree of carelessness associated with this incident which resulted in significant interference to a number of runners. In this incident, SHINEALOT, which was following ROSSE SCARPE, was checked away from the heels of that horse. INDIGENOUS STAR, REEVE’S MUNTJAC, PROUD SKY and APOLAR WARRIOR were all hampered in consequence. Passing the 900 Metres, SHINEALOT was steadied away from the heels of ALLOY KING after being awkwardly placed close to the heels of that horse. Then approaching the 700 Metres, SHINEALOT shifted out away from the heels of ALLOY KING which was travelling keenly and awkwardly placed behind SEIZE THE SPIRIT and in doing so bumped PROUD SKY. REEVE’S MUNTJAC, which was following SHINEALOT, was steadied away from the heels of that horse in consequence. After the 900 Metres, GOLDEN GENERAL and PROUD SKY were left racing wide and without cover. Rounding the Home Turn, SHINEALOT raced in restricted room when unable to improve between GOLDEN GENERAL and ALLOY KING which shifted out. Passing the 400 Metres, CIRCUIT NUMBER ONE was steadied when attempting to improve between DAILY CHARM and WICKER where there was insufficient room. After the 250 Metres, ALLOY KING raced tight outside WICKER which shifted out under pressure. Near the 50 Metres, CIRCUIT NUMBER ONE raced tight outside DAILY CHARM which shifted to the outside of SEIZE THE SPIRIT to continue improving. After the race, M Chadwick stated that it was not intended for DAILY CHARM to lead, however, after riding his mount positively in the early stages to overcome a wide barrier, he had to continue forward of runners to his inside to clear them. He said after this he steadied DAILY CHARM with a view to obtaining cover, however, when no other horse improved its position, this resulted in DAILY CHARM leading today’s race. Also after the race, an endoscopic examination was conducted on ALLOY KING at the request of Trainer K H Ting. The Veterinary Surgeon said this examination showed a substantial amount of blood in the horse’s trachea. Before being allowed to race again, ALLOY KING will be subjected to an official veterinary examination. A veterinary inspection of SURE WIN WIN, APOLAR WARRIOR, SHINEALOT and PROUD SKY immediately following the race did not show any significant findings. SEIZE THE SPIRIT and DAILY CHARM were sent for sampling.