Stewards got it right
They were certainly busy bees, in and out of their room all day, as incident after incident demanded attention, on what was a brilliant, truly electric, afternoon.
The main controversy centred on the decision to reverse placings in the T C Matthews Handicap Hurdle, after heavily-backed market leader, Macs Joy, had beaten Kilbeggan Lad.
It is probably true to say the majority felt the result would stand. The bookmakers, often the best judges of all, certainly believed that and bet accordingly.
RTE commentator, Tony O'Hehir, within seconds of the field passing the post, said there would be an inquiry, but no alteration to the placings was likely.
His colleague, Ted Walsh, was emphatic, repeatedly, that Macs Joy would keep the race.
In a packed press-room yours truly had only one backer for the notion the placings would be reversed.
Those who believed the result would stand kept indicating that the winner hadn't improved his placing, because there was three lengths between them at the end.
But, in my humble opinion, that was missing the point and the margin of victory, in this case, was of little consequence.
Senior stewards' secretary, Peter Matthews, pointed out that Kilbeggan Lad went from some six lengths down between the final two flights to within half a length of Macs Joy when he was hampered on the run-in.
Having watched the contest again, I am not so sure Kilbeggan Lad was as much as that adrift, but, at the same time, wasn't a million miles off it either.
Matthews further commented: "I know it was three lengths at the line, but Timmy Murphy (Kilbeggan Lad's pilot) had to stop riding for 50 yards and, after that, the horse could never get going again."
Matthews, I believe, got it spot-on. Kilbeggan Lad was challenging strongly when the interference took place.
As Murphy asked for one final effort from his partner, the six-year-old was completely stopped in his tracks, as Macs Joy went across in front of him.
While Macs Joy continued in full flow, Kilbeggan Lad was reduced to a virtual crawl and that's why the margin of victory was totally irrelevant.
The stewards then had to ask themselves: did Macs Joy, by his actions, improve his placing?
They clearly concluded there was the real possibility he had and gave the benefit of whatever doubt existed to the party who was offended, Kilbeggan Lad.
Personally, I applaud them. The get-out clause in these cases, often, is to suspend the jockey for careless riding and allow the result to stand.
It is frequently the right course of action, as long as the stewards are as certain as they can be that the winner hasn't improved his placing.
They could have taken the easy way out, gone with the flow and left the favourite keep the race.
But they didn't and showed real balls in reversing the placings.
"What was the difference between that race and the other two contests where the stewards allowed the result to stand?", questioned an irate press-room colleague.
Well, here goes. Never Compromise did go across in front of Spot Thedifference, in the hunters 'chase, after the last. In this case there was only a length and a half between them at the line.
The difference, however, is that the interference was minimal and Never Compromise clearly didn't improve his placing. Indeed, if they had gone another two furlongs Spot Thediffference still wouldn't have gone by his opponent! Elementary.
The Bumper, in which Malahide Marina beat The Railway Man by a length, was less clear-cut. Again interference, this time of a more serious nature, took place.
But the stewards and I agree with them concluded Malahide Marina hadn't improved his placing and the result stood.
The appeals, due to be lodged by the connections of both Macs Joy and The Railway Man, will be mighty interesting.
Different stewards, different opinions, who knows! One way or another, however, the Leopardstown stewards can luxuriate in a job well done.
