A FURIOUS Cheltenham Festival horse owner stripped of £37,000 winnings has slammed the ‘absolute rubbish’ decision to demote his runner.
Livid Brian Acheson from top owners Robcour was seething after Teahupoo was bumped down to third in last month’s Stayers’ Hurdle.
Scott felt totally vindicated that his horse Dashel Drasher was promoted to second at the expense of Teahupoo
Dashel Drasher, who originally placed second but was demoted to third by raceday stewards, was once again placed second after a three-hour BHA hearing.
The difference in cash between the two spots was a hefty £37,000.
A fuming Acheson said: “To the three independent stewards, absolute rubbish.
“You want to get someone murdered.”
Raceday stewards originally demoted Dashel Drasher for veering left into Teahupoo.
That horse’s jockey, Davy Russell, said he felt he would have won the race had Dashel Drasher not moved across.
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The dual Grand National-winning jockey said: “The only option I have is to keep going left and take the punishment I’m being given.
“My route is being dictated by the horse on my outside [Dashel Drasher], who is drifting to his left.”
But Dashel Drasher’s trainer Jeremy Scott hit back, saying not expecting a bit of movement between runners was ‘ridiculous’.
He commented: “In the context of a three-mile race on soft ground, I think the notion that there is not going to be a certain amount of wavering around going towards the last hurdle, to enable horses to correct themselves and jump safely, is ridiculous.
“This is not a flat race, this is a jump race. We put hurdles in the way to make the racing more interesting, in my view, and more fun.
“If we are going to penalise every horse that makes the slightest of movements going into a hurdle, then we may as well remove the hurdles.
“Teahupoo had room to stay pretty straight going to that hurdle because in the end we jumped that hurdle quite straight.
“There was fully a horse’s width between the two of us.”
James O’Mahony, chair of the independent panel, ultimately ruled: “We conclude there was no interference because Dashel Drasher was clear.
“We have regard not just to the distance straight ahead but to the distance laterally.
“With the clearest evidence in our view from the tracker footage, there was daylight in both aspects.”
However, despite Acheson’s words, punters were certain the correct decision had been reached.
One wrote: “Now that is justice.”
Another said: “Good news. Well done to them for appealing. Correct decision finally reached. Farcical that it’s taken so long to do so.”
While a fellow Twitter user wrote: “Right decision! Shouldn’t have been demoted in the first place.”
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