STEWARDS’ enquiries were the order of this week. Since last Thursday there were four controversial cases across three different jurisdictions and I got three of them wrong, so Sandown on Thursday evening was welcome! Of the Galway Hurdle debate, more anon.

At Goodwood on Saturday in the seven-furlong Whispering Angel Handicap, the winner Mudbir and the second Dance In The Storm both came off a straight line in the closing stages and bumped.

The margin was a short head and it looked as though the winner had done the worst of the wandering, but the result was left as it was.

There was an even more controversial one for US race fans, with wide condemnation on the X media channel of the decision when the Charlie Fellowes-trained Luther was awarded a Grade 2 contest, despite being well-beaten by over a length by Zulu Kingdom. Significant interference had taken place on the first bend between three horses with Luther on the inside the sufferer, while Zulu Kingdom had raced widest and it appeared to many that the horse in the middle was the culprit. Despite Zulu Kingdom winning nicely, under the USA rules he was thrown out and Flavien Prat given three days for careless riding.

Significant interference

At Sandown on Thursday, there was significant interference in the mile two-year-old maiden. It was caused by Oisin Murphy’s mount, the favourite Corinth, shifting about in front as Los Vegas made a run into a gap on the rails. Though Murphy pulled his whip to the correct hand, in the last 50 yards there was serious interference and it obviously affected the result. There was little doubt Los Vegas would have won. The final 50 yards didn’t look good but the stewards found the interference accidental with no punishment to the rider.

And so to Galway. The result of the Galway Hurdle was reversed, but is up for appeal next week.

The question is, did Helvic Dream cause enough interference to be sure that Ndaawi would have won without it? If that answer is uncertain, surely the result stands?

We had three angles to view, it only got tight for the last 50 yards on the run-in, Ndaawi having had sufficient room to get ahead, or even level, for three-quarters of the run-in from the last hurdle, but didn’t do so.

The result would not have been reversed on the side-on angle. It’s doubtful if it would have been reversed just looking at the head-on either. There is daylight ahead, Jack Kennedy does not stop riding, presumably in the belief he could still get ahead of Helvic Dream.

But he doesn’t even appear to draw level with the original winner. I have seen the case put forward that Meyler made no attempt to correct the horse or change his whip hand.

One media member described the outcome thus: “I can’t for certain say that Ndaawi was the best horse on the day or that he would definitely have won the race without interference.” Then why are we reversing the placings? It was suggested it will teach jockeys a lesson in future, especially when it was a big race result on a televised day. Surely that only matters if he prevented the other horse from winning and very few are adamant that he did?

Have Helvic Dream and his connections been made scapegoats for previous leniency?

I’ve no doubt there are various races at the Irish tracks that can be used to argue for and against but one that sticks in my mind, even if it is from a different jurisdiction, was the Aintree Hurdle of 2024.

It was won by Paul Townend on Impaire Et Passe and a lot of the circumstances are similar if not more clear-cut. The winning horse was not demoted, even though he transgressed.

Only cautioned

Townend was only cautioned, though he allowed his horse to drift, and continued to use his whip in the wrong hand, as Impaire Et Passe hung to the rail, causing Harry Skelton to pull Langer Dan out around him, then finish fastest and go down by a nose. Nothing was changed here and the incident surely affected the result. Skelton was also cautioned, but he had his whip in the correct hand.

The simple questions should be ‘Did interference take place?’ Yes, the horses got close. ‘Did it affect the result?’ Not sure. So the result should be left as it was.

Opinions differed, but it’s hard to look at the head-on and be convinced Ndaawi was unlucky to be beaten.

We wait to see what evidence is given and perhaps the odds are further stacked against a reversal of the on-the-day decision, but to me, it’s not as clear-cut as many appear to have accepted.

YOU don’t want to pick on young riders beginning their careers - and losing a race you looked like winning is punishment enough - but the practice of easing up on the run-in really needs to be cut out of a young rider’s mind.

It’s Never Simple was perhaps an appropriately named beneficiary to get a race at Roscommon last week, after rider Patrick O’Brien eased up with the race seemingly won on Gaelic Des Chastys. It is actually simple, there’s a winning post, keep your horse running until he passes it.

The jockey said the gelding was not running on for the use of the whip, but that is another subjective opinion. The 14-day ban is pretty stiff, but hopefully this one is a deterrent to such future misdemeanours.