Mr Saimee Jumaat said that he had been eager to ride King of King as the horse had previously won many races.

He testified: 'I rode him on Sept 23 2007 beating 15 horses. It is usual practice is to keep to the rear and then overtake the pack on the straight, but on Oct 28, despite all my efforts, the horse was not responsive.'

King of King came in second last. As a result of this poor showing, horse-owner Wang Sam Lin, 57, sacked trainer Steven Burridge.

Mr Wang is now seeking $1.35 million in potential loss of winnings in three races from Mr Burridge who had the horse injected with steroids after being dismissed.

The injection rendered the horse incapable of competing for 40 days and it missed out on the prestigious Singapore Gold Cup Race and the Committee Prize Race.

Businessman and international investor Wang is also suing for potential winnings in the Hong Kong Cathay Pacific Invitational Race, which was two days outside the 40-day withholding period.

After his disastrous ride, Mr Saimee told Mr Burridge that the horse was 'sore' or in pain and needed rest. Mr Burridge had earlier told the court that he had noticed the the horse did not touch its feed and looked unwell the next morning.

He then arranged for it to be taken to the Singapore Turf Club (STC) vet in the afternoon.

Although told by Mr Wang at about 2pm of his dismissal and that the horses were to be handed to another trainer, Mr Burridge said that he thought the tiff would be settled as in their previous misunderstandings.

Leaving Mr Wang in his office, he then took the horse for the steroid injection to boost its appetite.

Although fined $25,000 by the Singapore Turf Club committee for arranging the horse's treatment without informing its owner or new trainer, Mr Burridge, a 54-year-old Australian, said there was no negligence or misconduct.

The new trainer, Mr Desmond Koh, 37, testified on Tuesday that he noticed that the horse was in pain on Oct 30.

He also said that trainers would usually not get prior approval from owners before getting treatment from vets.

'Trainers make these decisions unless when there are serious consequences,' he added.

The hearing was adjourned till next month to allow defence witnesses to come from overseas.