So they behave decided to appeal, but not on the grounds of interference as they have been told they have no chance. BUT, they have appealed on the grounds that Barzelona may have hit the horse up to 14 times with his hand after he dropped his whip and twice with his whip. French rules say anything above 9 strikes is disqualification.
Sounds like a bitter way to deal with it. It you race in a different country, you have to accept the risk of rules being used differently to those in the UK.
I do not think they are bitter at all, in fact the other way around in my opinion. This fact was completely missed yesterday and the correct way to deal with Barzalona, who initiated all this with his complaint. I hope Shes Perfect gets the race as it's the biggest farce in racing since I have been involved. It’s only because the estate of the Aga Khan owns 2nd there was even a stewards Barzalona hit her twice with the whip and 10 times with his hand. "With One Hand on the Reins: If the jockey uses their hand to slap the horse's neck or shoulder while having only one hand on the reins, this action counts towards the permitted number of whip strikes. Since the maximum number of whip uses is limited to four per race, such actions could lead to penalties if the limit is exceeded." Consequences of the Violation: Disqualification: Since the jockey exceeded the permitted number of whip uses, the horse would be disqualified from the race.
Exactly what I said yesterday. If it had not been AK Studs, the objection may not have been upheld. But as the French racing industry and elite trainers are reliant upon AK Studs support I think there was only ever going to be one outcome. Of course Barzelona will counter by saying he was only waving his hand at his filly.
Stitch up job on the small time syndicate horse in favour of the aristocracy of french breeding. If the horses had been in opposite ownership there would be zero chance of the stewards even dusting off the vcr. I hope they win the appeal but I suspect the French authorities will become more entrenched. In any case the moment of glory is gone.
No doubt Zaragana would have been an unlucky loser, being taken out by Exactly. But it is difficult to see why She's Perfect was disqualified, not having been involved. I think that decision will have to be reversed with such compelling evidence available to all
