Circus Maximus passed the post an inch in front of Romanised, who just failed to get up, in today's Prix du Moulin. Circus Maximus was allowed to keep the race even though the head-on view (link below) shows that he pushed his opponent wide and then bumped him before straightening up.
The stewards' secretary explained after the race that they had based their decision in large part on a statement by Billy Lee that Circus Maximus was going quicker than his own horse (!), and that the camera on the inside of the course showed Circus Maximus overtaking Romanised in the closing stages. The stewards also decided that while there had been a slight bump in the shadow of the post it did not affect the outcome in a situation where both horses were hanging simultaneously (!). The interview in question is shown on the same link, below the head-on footage.
I disagree with all three grounds of the decision. It seems a strong possibility that there was a linguistic misunderstanding of what Billy Lee had to say. Surely he was pointing out that his own horse had travelled the quicker up the straight?
I also think that when the margin is down to an inch, it can't be said that the bump made no difference.
https://twitter.com/equidia/status/1170700578625851392
The stewards' secretary explained after the race that they had based their decision in large part on a statement by Billy Lee that Circus Maximus was going quicker than his own horse (!), and that the camera on the inside of the course showed Circus Maximus overtaking Romanised in the closing stages. The stewards also decided that while there had been a slight bump in the shadow of the post it did not affect the outcome in a situation where both horses were hanging simultaneously (!). The interview in question is shown on the same link, below the head-on footage.
I disagree with all three grounds of the decision. It seems a strong possibility that there was a linguistic misunderstanding of what Billy Lee had to say. Surely he was pointing out that his own horse had travelled the quicker up the straight?
I also think that when the margin is down to an inch, it can't be said that the bump made no difference.
https://twitter.com/equidia/status/1170700578625851392
Last edited:
