Derby non-runner debacle will come back to haunt BHA

When the British Horseracing Authority (BHA) stewards deemed Benvenuto Cellini a non-runner after competing in Saturday's Epsom Derby, my initial reaction was that it was an announcement error.

Why would the stewards decide that a horse which had made its own bad luck by lifting its hind leg onto the running board in the starting stall be deemed a non-runner after the race was run?

Bad Luck Is Part of the Game

Horses are unlucky all the time. It is the nature of every sport, not just horse racing. Hardly a race goes by without some horse or other missing the break, rearing up in stalls, getting caught in traffic, clipping heels, falling, unseating, getting brought down, rider losing his whip, jockey taking the wrong course etc, etc.

If the problem is of the horse or its jockey's own making, then it is simply bad luck.

Luck like this is part and parcel of the game and on Saturday I found it extremely difficult to differentiate between what occurred with Benvenuto Cellini and any of the above types of incidents that happen routinely.

In the case of Benvenuto Cellini he wasn't even that slowly away. I wouldn't be convinced the incident in the starting stall ultimately made any significant difference to his performance.

A Peculiar Statement from the BHA

What made this decision even harder to swallow was the most peculiar statement issued by the BHA in an attempt to explain their actions:

"The Stewards considered that the colt was prevented from starting on equal terms due to its left-hind leg being caught on the running boards shortly before and as the start was effected, materially affecting its chances as the rider was instructed to go forward and race handily which consequently he was unable to do."

So this horse's chance was "materially affected" because the rider had been instructed to go forward and race handily. Virtually every slow-starting horse has its chance of winning affected in the same way, but none of them are ever deemed non-runners.

Also, taking a rider or trainer's retrospective riding instructions as gospel might not be the best way of determining the outcome in these situations.

Article highlights:

• Benvenuto Cellini was deemed a non-runner after the Derby despite incidents like his happening routinely in racing.
• The BHA's explanation that the horse was "materially affected" by stall trouble - could apply to countless slow-starting horses that are never given non-runner status.
• A far more clear-cut case at Haydock, where Friendly Soul stepped in a hole, saw no such ruling - exposing a lack of consistency.
• The decision sets a difficult precedent the BHA will be forced to defend at every major meeting going forward.

The Haydock Comparison

Only two weeks ago we witnessed a horse whose chance was far more "materially affected" than we saw on Saturday.

On 23rd May in the first race at Haydock Park the 2/1 favourite Friendly Soul had just hit the front in a Listed contest when she put her foot into a deep hole that wasn't supposed to be there.

Through no fault of her own Friendly Soul's chances of winning evaporated instantly and herself, her jockey and the rest of the field were extremely fortunate to escape injury.

Racing on that part of the track at Haydock was abandoned for the remainder of the day and two subsequent meetings at the venue have also been lost due to the hole that Friendly Soul put her foot in, but punters who backed her in that race lost their money.

Why couldn't the BHA stewards on duty at Haydock have deemed Friendly Soul a non-runner? They would have had every justification to do so. An unknown external factor scuppered her chance, but she remained a runner even though she had to be pulled up shortly after the incident.

There is no consistency here. There isn't even much logic to the Derby decision.

Why Did the Stewards Decide This?

The big question is why did the Epsom stewards make such a strange decision? Perhaps it was simply because the Derby is one of the highest profile races in the calendar and the world was watching.

It must also have been a major consideration that there was video footage of the horse placing its hind leg on the shelf in the stall, something that doesn't exist on an average race day.

I suppose the only possible justification is that the stewards felt that the incident could have potentially been avoided had their starter spotted what was happening to Benvenuto Cellini prior to opening the stalls.

If the stewards deemed that a fair start had not been enacted their alternative course of action would have been to void the Derby, and calling Benvenuto Cellini a non-runner was by far the lesser of two evils in those circumstances.

A Decision That Will Come Back to Haunt Them

Their decision will almost certainly come back to haunt the BHA. At every major race day for the foreseeable future there will be similar incidents and they will have to wheel out Shaun Parker to explain why each one of them is not quite the same as Benvenuto Cellini's hind leg.

Besides the bookmakers who were forced to refund all stakes on the favourite (ouch) and the punters who were Rule 4’d having backed the winner (thankfully not all bookies availed of the 25p in the pound deduction), you also have to feel a little something for the last four finishers in the Derby.

The record books will show that they couldn’t even beat a non-runner.

Ronan Whelan's Moment in the Spotlight

The weather conditions at Epsom took away somewhat from the occasion on Saturday, but it was still fantastic to see Ronan Whelan in the spotlight after winning the Derby.

Ronan is a graduate of the pony racing circuit and it was a most memorable couple of days for that sport, with both himself and Dylan Browne McMonagle winning the two Epsom Classics.

Ronan is a very likable guy and it is particularly nice to see how his association with Ballydoyle has rekindled his career after his main trainer retired. In two seasons at Ballydoyle he has now won three Group 1 races including Saturday's Derby — something most riders can only dream about.

It is interesting to see how much loyalty there now appears to be between trainers and their regular jockeys when it comes to the biggest races.

Fifty years ago an ace rider like Oisin Murphy would have had his pick of mounts in the Epsom Classics, but despite riding four winners across the two days racing at the course, the Kerryman watched both the Oaks and Derby from the sidelines.

Lester must be turning in his grave.