Recap by phillip woo

Outsider Coolceleb shot clear 200m out after finally slotting in with cover one off in fourth at the 500m to open his win account. Well-backed Viva Council closed well travelling one off behind midfield to grab second in deep stretch. He relished a return to sprinting on the dirt. Old-timer Hearts Keeper stayed on reasonably well following a prominent run on the fence. Age is getting the better of him but he might be near a bottom. Red Horse really got motoring late after settling one from the back. He's been racing consistently well without winning. Fame And Fortune stayed on without menacing following a midfield run. It was another honest effort but will likely need a drop into Class Five to find his mark. Favourite Very Sweet Orange faded after sharing the lead with Takingufurther to his outside. He's better on the turf. Gentle Breeze was gone approaching the straight after a one-out, one-back run. He didn't seem to enjoy the dirt surface.

Racing Incident Report

Race Four: (551) - MEI TIN HANDICAP - Class 4 - 1200Meters

When proceeding to the barriers, TAKINGUFURTHER bumped a rail.

On arrival at the barriers, TAKINGUFURTHER was examined by the Veterinary Officer who said in his opinion it was suitable to race.

LET'S COME BACK began only fairly.

HEARTS KEEPER and VERY SWEET ORANGE began awkwardly.

Despite being ridden along for a considerable distance in the early stages, VIVA COUNCIL failed to muster speed and after the 800 Metres was left racing wide and without cover.

VIVA COUNCIL then lay out making the turn after the 700 Metres.

Also despite being hard ridden in the early stages, RED HORSE and HAPPY HAPPY STAR failed to muster speed.

Making the first turn near the 700 Metres, GENTLE BREEZE got its head on the side, lay in towards the hindquarters of HEARTS KEEPER and lost ground.

FAME AND FORTUNE, which was following, was hampered in consequence.

When questioned, Apprentice K H Chan stated that he had watched the videos of VERY SWEET ORANGE's races and after noticing that the horse had travelled strongly in some of those races and had also spoken to a number of riders who has previously ridden the horse who confirmed that VERY SWEET ORANGE can prove difficult to settle in its races.

He said this was also confirmed to him by Mr Y S Tsui, the trainer of VERY SWEET ORANGE in the Parade Ring when receiving his instructions.

He said he was instructed to ride VERY SWEET ORANGE positively and lead if possible as it was felt that VERY SWEET ORANGE would show sufficient speed to lead and it would not be in the best interests of the horse were it to be crossed given that it had previously proved difficult to settle.

He said in accordance with his instructions he rode his mount positively for some distance in the early stages to ensure that VERY SWEET ORANGE was able to obtain the lead.

He said at the 1000 Metres he observed TAKINGUFURTHER being ridden along from wide on the track to take up a forward position and therefore he continued to ride his mount along to ensure that that horse did not cross VERY SWEET ORANGE.

He said after TAKINGUFURTHER shifted in to race outside VERY SWEET ORANGE approaching the 800 Metres, his mount commenced to travel keenly and he attempted to steady the tempo whilst also not allowing TAKINGUFURTHER to gain too much of an advantage over his mount as he wished to ensure that VERY SWEET ORANGE led the race.

He said the circumstances of the race in the early and middle stages resulted in the race being run at a faster tempo than had been anticipated and because of this VERY SWEET ORANGE was not able to finish off the race.

A veterinary inspection of VERY SWEET ORANGE immediately following the race did not show any significant findings.

When questioned regarding his riding of TAKINGUFURTHER, H N Wong stated that he was instructed to either lead or sit outside VERY SWEET ORANGE should that horse be ridden to maintain the lead.

He said TAKINGUFURTHER began only fairly and he had to ride his mount along for a considerable distance in the early stages to obtain a forward position.

He said this included slapping the horse down the shoulder with the whip on a number of occasions to have it respond sufficiently to clear runners to its inside, namely COOLCELEB and GENTLE BREEZE.

He said after the 1000 Metres TAKINGUFURTHER was positioned in advance of VERY SWEET ORANGE albeit wide and for a short distance he felt that TAKINGUFURTHER would have sufficient speed to cross VERY SWEET ORANGE.

He said he then observed VERY SWEET ORANGE being ridden along near the 900 Metres and he therefore assessed that it was not possible to lead.

He said he then steadied his mount and continued to shift across to race to the outside of VERY SWEET ORANGE.

He said after riding his mount along, TAKINGUFURTHER travelled keenly and whilst he attempted to steady the horse, he was reluctant to restrain it too heavily as he was concerned that the horse may over-race.

He added because of the manner in which TAKINGUFURTHER and VERY SWEET ORANGE were racing, this resulted in those two horses opening up a considerable margin over the remainder of the field.

H N Wong was advised that whilst the Stewards accepted that he had to make considerable use of TAKINGUFURTHER in the early stages to obtain a forward position as instructed, they were of the view that he should have made more of an attempt to steady his mount to sit off VERY SWEET ORANGE so as to provide it with an opportunity to finish off its race.

A veterinary inspection of TAKINGUFURTHER immediately following the race did not show any significant findings.

A veterinary inspection of HARBOUR CENTURY immediately following the race including an endoscopic examination showed a substantial amount of blood in the horse's trachea and also found the horse to be lame in its right front leg.

Before being allowed to race again, HARBOUR CENTURY will be subjected to an official veterinary examination.

A veterinary inspection of GENTLE BREEZE immediately following the race did not show any significant findings, however, the horse was unable to be scoped due to being fractious.

VERY SWEET ORANGE, COOLCELEB and VIVA COUNCIL were sent for sampling.