02/05/2021  Shatin  Race 8

On arrival at the Start. Z Purton informed the Veterinary Officer that HURRY HURRY GAIN had coughed once in the Parade Ring and once again when proceeding to the barriers. After the race, Z Purton said that he was not concerned by this as HURRY HURRY GAIN had coughed similarly when he had ridden the horse previously to success at Happy Valley on 3 March 2021. He said on both occasions the same Veterinary Officer was in attendance at the Start and that after the necessary consultations behind the barriers both he and the Veterinary Officer were satisfied that HURRY HURRY GAIN was suitable to race. He said after riding his mount to obtain a forward position, HURRY HURRY GAIN’s action deteriorated and after he placed the horse under heavy pressure in the early part of the Straight, HURRY HURRY GAIN did not respond to his riding. He said he became concerned with the manner in which HURRY HURRY GAIN was giving ground passing the 300 Metres and after continuing to ride his mount out until the 200 Metres, HURRY HURRY GAIN continued to give ground noticeably. He added as he was concerned regarding the welfare of the horse, he eased it down over the concluding stages. He said when being eased down, HURRY HURRY GAIN made an abnormal breathing noise. Mr F C Lor, the trainer of HURRY HURRY GAIN, said that Z Purton had worked the horse at a grass gallop last Thursday and this work was very good and he anticipated that the horse would race well. He said he asked Jockey Purton to be positive on HURRY HURRY GAIN to clear runners to his inside as, in his opinion, it was no disadvantage for horses to be ridden on the speed today. He said following the disappointing performance of HURRY HURRY GAIN, he is of the opinion that the horse may not have appreciated racing without cover and having horses to both sides which resulted in HURRY HURRY GAIN travelling keener in the middle stages than he would have hoped. He said, apart from this, he was unable to offer any explanation for the manner in which the horse weakened in the Straight. A veterinary inspection of HURRY HURRY GAIN immediately following the race including an endoscopic examination showed a substantial amount of mucus in the horse’s trachea. The performance of HURRY HURRY GAIN, favourite for today’s race and winner of its two most recent starts, was considered unacceptable. Before being allowed to race again, HURRY HURRY GAIN will be required to perform to the satisfaction of the Stewards in a barrier trial and be subjected to an official veterinary examination. HEZA BEAUTY was steadied to obtain cover in the early stages. After the 1000 Metres, ENCOURAGED commenced to prove very difficult to settle when being steadied to obtain cover behind EXCELLENT CHARIOT. STORM WARNINGS lay out rounding the Home Turn. Throughout the race, SKY SHOW travelled wide and without cover. When questioned regarding the performance of SOARING TOWER, A Badel stated that his mount did not feel comfortable at any stage of the race. He said after beginning only fairly, he had to ride his mount along in the early stages in an endeavour to have it obtain as forward a position as possible. He said SOARING TOWER was always off the bit and did not travel well at any stage. He said after placing the horse under pressure prior to the Home Turn, SOARING TOWER’s action appeared to shorten and therefore he elected to balance the horse up in the early part of the Straight to see whether this would assist it in finishing off the race better. He added SOARING TOWER was finishing off the race only fairly and although it did make up some ground when hard ridden after the 300 Metres, SOARING TOWER continued to feel uncomfortable in its action and did not finish off the race strongly. A veterinary inspection of SOARING TOWER immediately following the race did not show any significant findings. Before being allowed to race again, SOARING TOWER will be subjected to an official veterinary examination. A veterinary inspection of SKY SHOW immediately following the race did not show any significant findings. HURRY HURRY GAIN, THE HULK and ALL IN MIND were sent for sampling.