To Disqualify or not to Disqualify

A huge holiday weekend of racing is near complete, and like it or not the overriding them of the big races was the unenviable decisions needed to be made by the stewards. The biggest race of the weekend worldwide was certainly the Japan Cup, and the result was a disqualification. Buena Vista was taken down after impeding the path of 2nd place finisher Rose Kingdom. Meanwhile back in the States, one of the key stakes was Friday’s Grade 1 Clark Handicap, and that one also featured a horse being handed the top spot by the stewards. Taking a closer look at the two situations reveals the difficult decisions left to the stewards. Top European jockey Christophe Soumillion piloted the great Japanese filly Buena Vista to a seemingly easy victory in the Japan Cup. Not so fast my friends, for after the race a lengthy inquiry ensued. Eventually the review resulted in a disqualification of the impressive winner. It was determined that she had impeded the progress of Rose Kingdom, also of Japan, and ridden by Yutaka Take, as she was sweeping to the lead in the stretch. To the credit of Rose Kingdom, he did come on strong to get up for 2nd on the wire, after checking briefly from the incident. This photo became important when the inquiry sign went up. More than 100,000 on-track fans would find just how crucial some 24 minutes later when the decision was finally announced. The $5.8 million dollar race had been reversed. Rose Kingdom was declared the Japan Cup winner and favored Buena Vista was placed 2nd. In the Clark, Successful Dan was a handful the entire race, fighting with jockey Julien Leparoux from the very beginning. Clearly he was a horse who was not happy being restrained. Eventually he would cause major trouble and he wasn’t the only one. It looked like it was going to be a fantastic finish until Demarcation, holding a slim advantage nearing the eighth pole, suddenly made a left turn. He sharply squeezed off his Paul McGee trained stablemate, Dubious Miss, causing a dangerous situation near the rail. Meanwhile, Successful Dan just behind the leading pack, and still full of run, swerved to the outside, solidly bumping Redding Colliery. Once clear, Successful Dan went on to a game win over late-running Giant Oak, best by a head at the wire. After a long delay, the stewards ruled a double DQ, and Successful Dan and Demarcation both came down. Giant Oak became the winner, Successful Dan was placed 3rd and Demarcation went to last. Big races and tough decisions. Made tougher because the best horse hit the wire first in both the Japan Cup and the Clark. Should Successful Dan and Buena Vista have been taken down? My answer is yes and no. Successful Dan’s number should have dropped because of the rather severe bumping of Redding Colliery. I am leery of taking down a horse in a grade 1 race, when it is pretty clear the best horse won, but in this case, the infraction was obvious enough to declare Giant Oak the winner. The punishment fit the crime, and jockey Julien Leparoux has since been suspended. In the Japan Cup, however, I am not nearly as agreeable with the steward’s decision. Did Buena Vista come over and impede Rose Kingdom to some extent? Absolutely. Was it enough to take down an easy winner of one of the biggest races in the world. Not by a long shot. If I owned Buena Vista I would be sick right now (luckily they owned the horse who was put up as well). She was much the best in the rich and prestigious Japan Cup. After 24 minutes the decision makers got it wrong. Taking Buena Vista down for her petty crime was nothing short of criminal.