St leger 2015

Like it or not (I don't), the decision is the correct one.

The problem is the inconsistency in the decision-making of the stewards.

I also wonder if BB's rider breached the whip rules while Atzeni didn't.
 
That was some of the most dramatic racing coverage I have ever seen.I gave the Group 3 at Leopardstown a miss to watch it.
 
tough decision
in general english steward are the fairiest and most consistent in the world, but this a very bad decision.

De sousa should have made more use of FOA, forcing tactics could have made him fight the win.
 
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Exciting race indeed and I had backed the eventual winner, so luck on my side today.

I think the stewards had a tough decision today and with such a high profile race someone was always going to go home unhappy. Agree UK has a brilliant and seemingly fair system in place...such a hard job but I am sure they do it with integrity and honesty.
 
You know what I thought was the worst part of the whole thing?

Colm's reaction when the result was confirmed.

You had Atzeni sat next to him with his head in his hands, blatantly shitting himself, and then he jumps up, screams his celebration, punches the air and walks off.

**** poor that. Surely you have a bit of class about yourself and do the punched fist once you're away from a devastated colleague.
 
Don't think english stewards judged this, they brought in france ones sat in their office and decide who won, why did they raced at all its beyond me when we have americans and france stewards that can tell us directly and promote and demote horses from last to first and from first to last. English stewards chose a bad day to take a break today.
 
I thought it was a strange decision, no matter how many times I watch the race I think the filly was clearly the best horse on the day and I was under the impression that under the rules nowadays it meant she should have kept the race. This is a game of opinions and the stewards exercised theirs, but I'm certainly of the opinion that they robbed a very tough filly her place in racing history today.
 
its a joke decision, the promoted winner caused as much interference by veering towards her, then she tilt into him for a stride or two and was immediately corrected by the jockey. This is a contact sport, this isn't what some what to make of it with lanes like in the human sprints, rightful winners aren't demoted in any sport on this planet, except for horse racing where decisions like this defy any logic. I agree if the jockey is blatantly causing the interference then ban him and decide if he would've still won the race but when no one is at fault and the jockey corrects the horse immediately then what are we talking about?

This decision was possible because the winning jockey wasn't capable of phrasing a sentence together in front of the stewards: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=diny3MgdMHY, which in turn were beautifully talked by the runner-up bloke who sold couple of catch-phrases from the rules "has an incident occurred ? yes. Has it took me off a straight course? yes" which is true but the stewards then needed to apply some common sense and see if the winner gained any advantage from the interference. I hope it gets turned over on the appeal.
 
I sort of agree with a bit of that because I reckon O'Donoghue was delighted when his mount drifted in and closed the door on the filly.

Whether that justified AA barging his way out is another matter and clearly he did exactly that and broke the rules.

What is this rubbish about inconsistency I ask myself?

If two horse are fighting out a finish and they bump the chances are that the winner will keep the race if it is deemed the best horse won the race and would have won anyway..

If a jockey does what AA did by barging his way out then he should and was in this case disqualified.

Personally I think she picked up so well just as she was hemmed in she would have won by a couple of lengths with a clear run.

Bad ride form AA didn't even have a look to see if he could have gone round O'Donoghue. Personally I think he'd just about have still won had he done so about 2 1/2 furlongs out.

AA didn't deserve to keep the race IMO
 
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Tincan said:
You know what I thought was the worst part of the whole thing?

Colm's reaction when the result was confirmed.

You had Atzeni sat next to him with his head in his hands, blatantly shitting himself, and then he jumps up, screams his celebration, punches the air and walks off.

**** poor that. Surely you have a bit of class about yourself and do the punched fist once you're away from a devastated colleague.
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Don't know what tv you were watching but all he did was clap his hands twice and grin
 
Seemed a lot more of a celebration than that to me. Seen a few results shown from the stewards room over recent years and the 'winner' of the decision has always seemed to keep their celebrations in check out of respect. Didn't seem the case at all this time.

If I'd have been atzeni I'd have booted him up the arse.
 
The Stewards held an enquiry under Rule (B)11.6 into two possible instances of interference from two furlongs out. Having heard their evidence and viewed recordings of the race they found that, in the first incident inside the two furlong marker the winner SIMPLE VERSE (IRE), ridden by Andrea Atzeni, had interfered with BONDI BEACH (IRE), placed second, ridden by Colm O’Donogue. The Stewards found Atzeni in breach of Rule (B)54.1 and guilty of careless riding in that he manoeuvred right-handed in order to create a gap and thereby bumped BONDI BEACH (IRE) and took him off his intended line. They suspended him for 3 days as follows: Sunday 27, Monday 28 and Tuesday 29 September 2015.

In the second incident, half a furlong out, they found that SIMPLE VERSE (IRE) had interfered with BONDI BEACH (IRE), but considered that the interference was accidental in that the filly shifted quickly right-handed, taking BONDI BEACH (IRE) off its line.

The Stewards considered that the combination of the two incidents of interference had improved SIMPLE VERSE (IRE)’s placing in that, in the first incident, BONDI BEACH (IRE), having been given a significant bump, had become unbalanced and lost momentum. Having recovered, the colt received a further bump half a furlong out and, again, was unbalanced and was beaten by a diminishing head at the line. They placed BONDI BEACH (IRE) first and SIMPLE VERSE (IRE) second.

The Stewards held an enquiry into the use of the whip by Colm O'Donogue, the rider of the winner, BONDI BEACH (IRE), from one and a half furlongs out. Having heard his evidence and viewed recordings of the race, they found him in breach of Schedule (B)6 Part 2 in that he had used his whip above the permitted level. The Stewards suspended O'Donogue for 2 days as follows: Sunday 27 and Monday 28 September 2015.


I think it's pretty clear she was only disqualified because the stewards felt Bondi Beach would of won otherwise, not for Atzeni's riding; not sure I saw it that way personally. After what happened to Secret Gesture as well, I reckon Mr.Beckett should buy a lottery ticket because he's owed a big slice of a change in luck.
 
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Aragorn said:
Colm is clearly a better salesman than Atzeni. He was pretty convincing during the enquiry.
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Not sure why he had to say anything about the filly receiving weight from his colt. Looking for the sympathy vote?

But you are right he was more articulate than Andrea.
 
A lot of jockeys arent O Donoghues twin brother, though edgt. Each jockey is a unique specimen. And to expect one man to copy another when he feels something totally different is totalitarian fascism. Albeit a fascism where we are all allowed to take part (as such) until we fall by the sword. This whole saga has reafirmed my opinion that horse racing is an act of the devil. Like politics...built on false hopes. Bullshit and foreign billionaires. There is no passion at the business end. Ifs strictly business. Whether in the sales, or a stewards inquiry. You, we and I are all cunts, talented or otherwise, channel 4, the wankers that set up these forums, and Blairs mates in government that opened up the roulette machines. A waste of time, where the common man or woman should have enough sense to say no. Im pleased i've packed it in.. I dont want to die knowing i supported this corrupted hypocracy. Yes, the sports of kings, but in a pack of cards corrupted by jokers or maybe a joker of all jokers that is eternally laughing at everyone.
 
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If it was just the first bump I think they would have a case for appeal, but the second incident was too close to the line, and although looked six of one and half dozen of the other, it was the second incident. Either on their own , I think she would have kept it.
 
It's nearly always the winning distance that's the deciding factor. You have to think that the sum of the interference in the 2 events at Donny comes to more than a head so you can see why she got kicked out. Likewise, Golden Horn won by more than a length so was more likely to keep his race.
Atzeni got himself into a pocket and broke the rules to stop Bondi Beach getting the first run. If he'd sat and suffered he probably wouldn't have got up so the rule infraction affected the result.
 
Can appeal all they want it won't change a thing.

This talk about Colm being a better salesman than Atzeni is nonsense IMO.

It seems to me people assume Francome was right and they are all cabbage patch dolls :blink:

Really c'mon!!! It was a blatant bit of horrific riding that cost Atzeni the race all your man did is say it as it was.

No doubt Colm probably said as he came upsides "You are going nowhere" but he hasn't broke he rules your man has.
and a blind man running for a bus could see that.

Does anyone on here actually think he deserved to keep the race?
 
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moehat said:
He broke the whip rule.
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You have a point.

Under the rules, though, they have to give Bondi Beach the race if they think that without the interference he would have crossed the line first. This is so even if they also think that without the illegal use of the whip he would have been beaten anyway.

It's clearly time for a review of the rules.
 
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