THE only thing certain with stewards’ enquires, is the uncertainty. Heads, tails, who wins?
We had two controversial incidents last weekend with the big race result being reversed at Sandown on Saturday.
There can be little doubt that, in hanging badly to his left on the run-in, the bet365 Gold Cup winner Enrilo severely impeded Kitty’s Light who was finishing well. Enrilo’s trainer Paul Nicholls accepted the decision. The head-on TV pictures left little doubt on the extent of the interference.
The complaints, including from the owners of Kitty’s Light, came because of the switching of the placings that left Enrilo rightly placed behind the horse that he interfered with, Kitty’s Light, who finished third. The lucky beneficiary was the second past the post, Potterman, who got promoted to first even though he suffered no interference in originally finishing second.
The annoyance felt by Kitty’s Light’s owners may be understandable but the rule has been the same for decades and when judging incidents, sometimes accidental, involving the unpredictable element of horses hanging – it is probably the fairest.
It is the same the world over and was employed to throw Maximum Security out of first place in the Kentucky Derby two years ago – he impeded many of his rivals when hanging on the bend, principally War Of Will, but they did not benefit as they finished out of the first three. The promoted winner Country House had suffered no interference.
In a similar vein, I’d have thrown out Raise You at the Curragh two weeks ago when he caused serious interference by hanging half way across the track.
There was no blame attached to the rider Dylan Browne McMonagle but the horse, by his own manoeuvre, prevented more than one rival in achieving a better placing and could have brought one down, as at least three had to snatch up.
There was another incident that posed a few questions from last Thursday week when many might have thought that Jamie Codd was a bit unlucky to be disqualified after a narrow win on Mylestown Upper in Kilbeggan.
There’s no doubt Codd was responsible for interference coming off the final bend heading to the last flight and deserved a ban but it was difficult to see how he interfered with the horse on his outer, Hymie Weiss, as there appeared no contact between the two horses.
The stewards’ report stated: “Having viewed the recording of the race and considered the evidence, the stewards were satisfied that Mylestown Upper had caused interference to Hymie Weiss, Stilyker and Wrong Way Harry.”
Wrong Way Harry was the chief sufferer as Mylestown Upper had hung right to the rail and squeezed him out.
But Mylestown Upper was a length up and had the vital rail position on a turning track. He had earned that by going to the lead well before the last. It’s dificult to argue Hymie Weiss would have won as there is no straight line to the post from the last in Kilbeggan.
The margin was a nose but it was still hard to equate when you look back at how Folcano failed to get a race at Navan in January when he was beaten a nose after being hung into by the winner Brazos, a decision that angered the second’s trainer Gordon Ellliott.
That decision had also looked at odds with the Downpatrick incident last August involving Walking Fame hanging across the track and impeding two rivals.