30/03/2022  Shatin  Race 1

CHATER PINS began only fairly. UNITE SPIRIT shifted out at the start and bumped PERFECT TO GREAT. PERFECT TO GREAT and UNITE SPIRIT were then hampered a short distance later when taken wider by PAKISTAN FRIEND which got its head on the side and shifted out. MURRAY’S PARTNERS, which was being steadied from the outside barrier to obtain cover, was also bumped by PERFECT TO GREAT in this incident. AMAZING TEENS was taken wider and without cover passing the 800 Metres. Shortly after entering the Straight, MURRAY’S PARTNERS shifted out and bumped UNITE SPIRIT. Close to the finishing line, PAKISTAN FRIEND was awkwardly placed inside the heels of UNITE SPIRIT which shifted in under pressure. Because of this, PAKISTAN FRIEND was not ridden out all the way to the end of the race. When questioned regarding his riding of PERFECT TO GREAT in the middle stages, J Moreira stated that he was instructed to obtain a position worse than midfield from barrier 8. He said he was not provided with any other instructions other than to allow the horse to improve into the race at the appropriate time. He said after shifting across behind runners in the early stages, he was able to obtain a position behind MISTER MONTE passing the winning post on the first occasion. He said he became concerned regarding the positioning of PERFECT TO GREAT behind that horse due to the rider of MISTER MONTE commencing to ride his mount along vigorously after the 1400 Metres. He said he continued to maintain his position behind that horse, however, when MISTER MONTE commenced to give ground prior to the 1200 Metres when continuing to be vigorously ridden along, he was of the opinion that that horse would take his mount back through the field and therefore he elected to shift away from the heels of that horse and commenced to improve his position. He added the pace of the race at this time was only fair. He said PERFECT TO GREAT was able to improve around runners after the 1200 Metres without having to be ridden along and after the 1000 Metres shifted across to race in front of AMAZING TEENS which was racing outside MISSION BRAVO. He said he continued to urge PERFECT TO GREAT along to clear MISSION BRAVO and felt that he was in the process of establishing his position in the lead on the rail after the 900 Metres. He added that as he was shifting across, he received numerous calls from L Ferraris, the rider of MISSION BRAVO, which indicated to him that he may not be clear. He said he continued to pursue the position on the rail, however, when he continued to receive calls from the rider of that horse, he felt that he may have been causing interference and therefore he elected to shift PERFECT TO GREAT out to a one-off position approaching the 800 Metres rather than continue to shift inwards and cause interference. He said whilst he felt that at one point near the 900 Metres he was sufficiently clear of that horse, the number of calls that he received from the rider of MISSION BRAVO placed a doubt in his mind as to whether he was properly clear to continue shifting. The Stewards interviewed L Ferraris who confirmed that he had called Jockey Moreira on many occasions as he always felt that MISSION BRAVO was racing inside the heels of PERFECT TO GREAT. J Moreira stated that after shifting PERFECT TO GREAT out, his mount came under immediate pressure and commenced to give ground after the 800 Metres despite being ridden along and then weakened noticeably after the 700 Metres. Having regard to the tempo of the race after the 1600 Metres and the fact that MISTER MONTE was under heavy pressure at the relevant time, the Stewards took no exception to J Moreira’s decision to improve his position after the 1200 Metres. Whilst mindful of the evidence of L Ferraris, the Stewards advised J Moreira that they were not completely comfortable with his riding of PERFECT TO GREAT near the 800 Metres in that, in the opinion of the Stewards, PERFECT TO GREAT had cleared MISSION BRAVO sufficiently, yet he did not continue to race on the rail. He was further advised to ensure that he rides his mounts in such a manner that there are no queries regarding the tactics he adopts in races. The performance of PERFECT TO GREAT, which finished tailed out, was considered unacceptable. Before being allowed to race again, PERFECT TO GREAT will be required to perform to the satisfaction of the Stewards in a barrier trial and be subjected to an official veterinary examination. A veterinary inspection of PERFECT TO GREAT immediately following the race did not show any significant findings. After the race, H T Mo stated that MISTER MONTE did not travel well at any stage of the race. He said he had to continually ride the horse along in the early and middle stages in an attempt to have it maintain its position. He said despite being ridden along, MISTER MONTE was not able to hold its position and commenced to give ground along the Back Straight. He said despite being put under heavy pressure prior to the 800 Metres, MISTER MONTE continued to give ground and weakened out of the race noticeably after this. The performance of MISTER MONTE, which finished tailed out, was considered unacceptable. Before being allowed to race again, MISTER MONTE will be required to perform to the satisfaction of the Stewards in a barrier trial and be subjected to an official veterinary examination. A veterinary inspection of MISTER MONTE immediately following the race which included an endoscopic examination showed a substantial amount of mucus in the horse’s trachea. AMAZING TEENS, MISSION BRAVO and CHATER PINS were sent for sampling.