Ear-splitting pneumatic drills are playing havoc with the daily plans of trainers who walk their horses at Sha Tin.
As the Jockey Club's property department toils against the deadline for finishing an 18-month refurbishment of the Sha Tin stables complex, angry trainers are complaining that million-dollar horses are being put at risk.
'It's just got to stop. Several of us have complained but I reckon today was the limit. On top of the drills, which are driving the horses mad, they were dismantling an air-conditioner and just tossing the tin plates on to the ground.
'You can imagine the noise that was making,' said an irate Bruce Hutchison - who had one horse almost hit by a lump of falling masonry - yesterday.
Trainer David Hayes has also complained; one of his horses was so badly spooked yesterday it almost flipped over on a concrete walkway. But relief is on the way.
Stables manager Bernard Kwok said the Jockey Club had asked construction workers to take a break from 4pm to 5pm, starting from today. The Club will pay overtime to ensure the work is completed on schedule.