The National Horseracing Authority’s Racing Control Executive Arnold Hyde has reportedly confirmed there will be an enquiry into the objection in race 1 at Turffontein on Saturday, one of the most controversial upheld decisions in recent times.

Jockey Karl Zechner aboard Nordic Storm, who had been backed from 8/1 into 7/2,  objected against the favourite Querari Viking on the grounds of being bumped at the start and on interference in the straight. However, in a live explanation given by a stipendiary steward to Tellytrack viewers, it was divulged that the chief incident looked at by the stipes was the one in the straight.

Nordic Storm is being aimed at a narrow gap between Querari Viking and the rail at about the 300m mark but has the door closed on him. He thus switches outward and after being hard ridden is beaten 1,1 lengths. Meanwhile, Querari Viking had galloped strongly to the line. In the view of the stipendiary stewards the interference at the 300m mark had affected  Nordic Storm’s momentum and in their opinion it had cost the horse a length-and-half. Considering he had then closed the gap to about a length, which was the distance separating the horses at the time of the interference, they decided to award the race to Nordic Storm, albeit on a split decision.

However, in the view of many irate punters the switching movement had not cost Nordic Storm much, if any, momentum. In their opinion Querari Viking had simply been travelling the stronger at the time and had pulled clear before duly holding on to win comfortably.

Due to rule 69.3.1 upheld objections usually pertain to horses which are beaten narrowly, while at the same time having been cost obviously more ground than the winning margin.

Rule 69.3.1 states: a placed HORSE was interfered with by another placed HORSE and/or its RIDER during a RACE and the HORSE which was interfered with would, but for the interference, have finished ahead of the HORSE which caused the interference, in which event, the OBJECTION BOARD shall place the HORSE which caused the interference behind the HORSE which was interfered with or it may disqualify the HORSE which caused the interference.

Yesterday’s Scottsville meeting was also tinged with controversy.

In the fifth race jockey Keagan de Melo was not ready when the starter pressed the button as some equipment on his mount was still being adjusted. His mount thus left the stalls riderless. The starter, upon realising what had happened, called a false start. However, not all of the jockeys heard the call. Once a false start is called the event immediately becomes a “no race”. Therefore chief stipendiary steward Sean Parker was left with only two options, to re-run the race later or declare it null and void. He opted for the latter, it being the fairer choice on the horses. He said an enquiry would be held into the jockeys not responding to the false start call and added the current “recall” procedures would be looked into to see whether they could be improved upon.

David Thiselton