what does it take to be disqualified these days?

​First off, let me say that I lay little blame on Lorcan Williams. I may be a paid-up member of the Bryony Frost fan-club but that in no way colours my view that the Ascot stewards came to the wrong conclusion on the incident at the last fence in the Bryne Group Handicap Chase. Clearly Diego Du Charmil attempted to run-out and in doing so completely took away any chance Capeland had of either winning the race or finishing second. I am aware that the loose horse (Ballywood) veering away from the fence was a mitigating factor and, in the split-second circumstances, Lorcan Williams could do little to stop his mount doing likewise. The fact he performed heroics and no little skill in getting his horse back on an even keel and win the race should have had no bearing at the stewards’ enquiry.
If this incident had occurred after the last fence, in the final furlong, with Diego Du Charmil cannoning into Capeland and knocking him sideways, there is no question he would have been disqualified. Also, if both horses had jumped the last Capeland would at worst had finished second, and given the way he is normally ridden it was highly possible he would have won, so to have him disqualified him from fifth, where he eventually finished, was just rubbing salt into a wound that was not of his making. Whichever way you look at it, Capeland was the innocent victim of a highly unusual occurrence and yet it is his connections that have paid the penalty. If Capeland had finished second £12,822 would have gone to his owner, yet he was actually deprived of the £1,608 he might have received for finishing fifth.
In my opinion Clondaw Castle should have been awarded the race, as undeserving as he might have been. This was a very poor decision by the Ascot stewards.
I wonder what thoughts Bryony had on her journey home last night. She won on Ecco, so her day was not totally without benefit, yet she rode a really good race on the hard-pulling Red Force One only to be denied by a neck and as usual Black Corton ran his socks off to finish third to a well-handicapped Vinndication – a Grand National horse, not a Gold Cup horse – and Regal Encore, giving him 21lbs. The write-up in the Racing Post described Black Corton as ‘a likeable sort’, which is damning as honest a horse that has ever looked through a bridle with faint praise. He must be every owner’s dream horse.
It was a strange day for Paul Nicholls, not withstanding the ‘Diego Du Charmil incident’. Both his runners at Down Royal must have pleased him, even if they both only came second. Clan Des Obeaux ran an eye-catching race in the Ladbroke Champion Chase, jumping wonderfully and only being caught-out by a horse far easier to have 100% fit first-time out. If Secret Investor is being trained for the Ladbroke Trophy at Newbury, second over an inadequate trip to Real Steel should be seen as a good performance. Not that I think the form will stack-up as the season progresses as Mengil Khan was not in the mood to exert himself and Minella Fair shaped more like a 4-miler.
It was pleasing to see Samcro winning on Friday, though it will be a concern if he continues to jump to the right as such habits can be an indicator of something amiss.
Finally, I’m no fan of the Breeders Cup. I just don’t think it shows the sport in the right P.C. light to have vast amounts of prize money for what is in the main rather ordinary racing. It is a rich-man’s knees-up, held on a surface that is questionable and taped-together by the use of drugs that are banned in most racing countries. Having said that, what the Breeders Cup didn’t need, and Santa Anita authorities must have prayed not to happen, was to have a horse suffer a life-ending injury. The Breeders Cup committee took a chance keeping the meeting at Santa Anita given the adverse publicity the track has had over the past twelve months with over thirty equine fatalities during that period, a situation that was undefendable, and unfortunately it has backfired on them. Not one of the winners will receive the same publicity as Mongolian Groom, the horse that broke down so badly it had to be destroyed. One can only hope Melbourne does not suffer the same sort of unwanted publicity on Tuesday.