Recap by phillip woo

Dashing Dart came on strongly after a deep run at the rear of the field from a wide gate to get up 20m out for an overdue win. He's in good form and should remain competitive going forward. Plunged late Sunny Power was just touched off after briefly hitting the front 50m out with a good move from near the back. He's a capable miler on his day and has likely bottomed out here. Simple Elegant kept on well for a placing but couldn't keep a straight line after assuming the lead 200m out chasing the leader Dor Dor. He's naturally coming to hand and a win isn't far away. Flame Lily stayed on a non-threatening fourth chasing the leaders one off the fence in third. He's never too far off the finish but is limited. Smart Rocket was short of room and badly hampered at the 150m by Simple Elegant following a handy run on the fence. Dor Dor was already retreating when hampered 100m out after going forward very deep from a wide gate to dictating the running.

Racing Incident Report

Race Seven: (580) - PERIDOT HANDICAP - Class 4 - 1600Meters

As the start was effected, KWAI CHUNG ELITE lifted its front feet off the ground, began very awkwardly and lost a considerable amount of ground.

Before being allowed to race again, KWAI CHUNG ELITE will be required to perform satisfactorily in a stalls test.

SHANGHAI DRAGON began only fairly and then was crowded for room between WINNING CONTROLLER and DELIGHT EXPRESS which shifted out.

STRAPPING BAUHINIA shifted out at the start and bumped SIMPLE ELEGANT, causing that horse to become badly unbalanced.

SUNNY POWER and MARQULA bumped at the start.

From wide barriers, SUNNY POWER and DASHING DART were shifted across behind runners in the early stages.

Approaching the 1400 Metres, DELIGHT EXPRESS was awkwardly placed close to the heels of WINNING CONTROLLER.

Passing the 1200 Metres, DELIGHT EXPRESS was left racing wide and without cover.

Near the 450 Metres, DASHING DART raced very close to the heels of DELIGHT EXPRESS when being shifted to the outside of that horse to obtain clear running.

MARQULA was eased down and retired out of the race in the early part of the Straight.

A veterinary inspection of MARQULA immediately following the race revealed that the horse was displaying an irregular heart rhythm.

Before being allowed to race again, MARQULA will be required to perform satisfactorily in a barrier trial and be subjected to an official veterinary examination.

Approaching the 200 Metres, SMART ROCKET shifted out and raced close to the heels of SIMPLE ELEGANT (M L Yeung).

Then passing the 200 Metres, SIMPLE ELEGANT, which was racing greenly, shifted in, resulting in SMART ROCKET being steadied away from the heels of SIMPLE ELEGANT and shifting in.

SMART ROCKET then raced tight inside SIMPLE ELEGANT and near the 100 Metres shifted in, resulting in DOR DOR being steadied when crowded for room.

M L Yeung was reminded of his obligation to make every endeavour to prevent his mounts from shifting ground.

The performance of DELIGHT EXPRESS, which finished tailed out, was considered unacceptable.

Before being allowed to race again, DELIGHT EXPRESS will be required to perform to the satisfaction of the Stewards in a barrier trial and be subjected to an official veterinary examination.

When questioned regarding the performance of WINNING CONTROLLER, Z Purton stated that it was intended for the horse to either lead or to sit in 2nd or 3rd position depending on the pace of the race.

He said in accordance with his instructions he rode his mount along in an endeavour to take up a forward position, however, it did not show as much early speed as other runners in the race and as the pace of the race was good in the early stages, this resulted in WINNING CONTROLLER racing further back in the field than had been intended.

He said WINNING CONTROLLER travelled well in the early and middle stages and when shifted to the outside of DELIGHT EXPRESS to improve near the 500 Metres, he expected the horse to finish off the race well.

He said however that WINNING CONTROLLER came under pressure in the early part of the Straight and then did not respond to his riding.

He added, when placed under pressure in the Straight, WINNING CONTROLLER made a number of abnormal breathing noises and as the horse had previously been reported to have bled, he felt that the horse may have bled again given the manner in which it was finishing off the race.

He said as WINNING CONTROLLER was well beaten, he eased it down over the final 100 Metres.

A veterinary inspection of WINNING CONTROLLER immediately following the race including an endoscopic examination showed a substantial amount of blood in the horse's trachea.

The performance of WINNING CONTROLLER, favourite for today's race, was considered unacceptable.

Before being allowed to race again, WINNING CONTROLLER will be required to perform to the satisfaction of the Stewards in a barrier trial and be subjected to an official veterinary examination.

When questioned, J Moreira stated that as DOR DOR had not been beginning well and had raced greenly in a number of its races, he was asked, from the outside barrier, to have the horse begin as well as possible and attempt to take up a forward position.

He said in accordance with his instructions he rode DOR DOR along in the early stages and allowed his mount to remain racing out wide on the track to take advantage of what he considered to be better ground.

He said when DOR DOR travelled keenly in the early stages, he had attempted to steady the horse without having to break its stride given that it had raced greenly in previous races.

He said near the 1100 Metres he commenced to shift DOR DOR over closer to the inside rail and as he did this DOR DOR continued to travel keenly which resulted in the race being run at a faster tempo than he had hoped.

He said he continued to try and steady the tempo, however, DOR DOR was running too keenly and given the horse's previous racing history, he was not confident that DOR DOR would be able to respond favourably if he were to place too much pressure on it.

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

WINNING CONTROLLER, DASHING DART and SUNNY POWER were sent for sampling.