Harris hit by illness as jockey ranks thin

Top Australian jockey Wayne Harris had the ultimate false start to his first Hong Kong stint in a decade - he missed last night's planned Happy Valley debut through illness. Melbourne Cup-winning rider Harris, who is on a visiting licence until the end of the season, was forced to pull out of the meeting with infected or inflamed tonsils. Harris was virtually unable to talk but said he was on antibiotics and declared he would be fit to ride on Sunday. Chief stipendiary steward Bernard Hargreaves said: 'It does not appear to be a case of tonsilitis but rather that the tonsils are infected.' Harris has had little luck over the years with sickness and injury having once come close to permanent disability through a brain haemorrhage.

His first Hong Kong stint when he moved from John Moore to Wong Tang-ping also ended through injury. But a croaking Harris intimated that he would be fit to ride on Sunday and hopes to be at trackwork tomorrow. And local racing temporarily lost another two jockeys last night. Long-time apprentice Vickie C.W. Choi was stood down for four meetings by the stewards before the meeting at the city track got under way. Choi had asked for the inquiry to be adjourned from last Saturday so that he could call additional evidence into the final race at Sha Tin where he was charged with careless riding on second-placed Super Freighter. Choi, who is five winners short of losing his claim, caused interference in the event which saw favourite Winning Horse checked.

Fellow apprentice Stanley K.M. Chin, indentured to Ivan Allan, was suspended for two days for breaching the advance marker pole rule and causing tightening to horses on his inside. The incident occurred in the opening event on the seven-race card when Chin was riding lightly-weighted speedster Profit Taker. And visiting rider Damien Oliver, who rode Rajput to success in the night's featured Sassoon Challenge Cup, was later taken ill and forced to forfeit rides in the final three races.