October
DecemberCertainty required
As an experienced steward now in the lower level of SA racing but having been trained by such respected stewards as George Boucher, Harvey Combe, Alf Lucas, Bronte Winchester and Tom Hales, I welcomed and was intrigued by the televised broadcast of proceedings in the stewards’ room.
However, one concern arising from this excellent coverage is that despite having the aid of numerous camera angles the stewards still occasionally make decisions that are hard to understand. Here are two examples.
Firstly, the AJC stewards’ relegation of Takeover Target to second place in the 2008 Villiers Stakes seemed to be a very questionable result.
Secondly, in last month’s Railway Stakes, where numerous shots were available of the field in the area where the interference was claimed to have taken place, it seems unlikely that the rider of He’s Remarkable caused any restriction to Luckygray’s passage.
It will be most interesting to follow trainer Roger James’s appeal against the protest result when it goes to the tribunal.
Naturally the betting on the race has been settled so the best result he could expect is to claim the winning prizemoney, with the horse’s status elevated to that of Group 1 winner, making him a more valuable stud prospect.
Returning to the mentors listed above, they all stressed as a matter of importance that to take a race away from a horse you must be very sure in your mind that the evidence is clearly visible.
Robe (SA)