I think its a fair call. I couldn't have seen The Shark beating the winner. There are always going to be controversies when humans are the judge. The most controversial demotion I have seen was when DAr Re Mi won a feature in France only to be demoted for causing minimal interferance to the 5th place runner who could have finished a place better. Imagining winning the July only to loose the race cos you bumped the pacemaker who could have ran 4th.
Dar Re Mi suffers shock demotion in trial race for Arc De Triomphe
• Stewards hand victory to hot favourite Stacelita
Celebration controversially turned to despair for connections of Dar Re Mi after she was disqualified from victory in the Prix Vermeille at Longchamp yesterday.
The John Gosden-trained filly, owned by Lord and Lady Lloyd-Webber, had dented the reputation of leading French filly Stacelita in the traditional trial for the Arc de Triomphe in three weeks' time when getting up in the final strides .
Previously unbeaten, Stacelita was certainly given every chance of maintaining that record when the pacemaker Volver - who had set only reasonable fractions from the front, rather than the expected fast pace - stepped aside from the rail halfway up the home straight and let her stablemate through.
Jimmy Fortune was wise to the plan and switched Dar Re Mi to the inside rail in order to take advantage of the same artificially created gap. However, in the process of making the manoeuvre, Fortune's mount hampered the German runner Soberania and after lengthy deliberations, Dar Re Mi was demoted to fifth place with Soberania promoted to fourth.
Dar Re Mi's demotion seemed to take everyone, bar the stewards, by surprise. Darley Stud had already emailed out a press release promoting her sire, Singspiel, by the time the outcome was known. Although an enquiry was called quickly after the race, most presumed that the officials were investigating the antics of the pacemaker and the eventual winner. Indeed, it seemed reasonable to suggest that Fortune would not have been forced into switching inside but for the manoeuvre of the pacemaker.
There is no question that, under British rules which focus more upon whether the interference affected the final result, Dar Re Mi would have kept the race. However, the French rules on interference have always been much stricter, even if they do seem to be interpreted more indiscriminately.
In the immediate aftermath of the Vermeille, Lady Lloyd-Webber seemed clear that Dar Re Mi would be a likely runner in the Arc. "It's the biggest race in Europe," she said. Thirty minutes later, she was less so favourably disposed to returning. Asked about the possibility of launching an appeal, she said: "There is an appeals process. But this is France."
Gosden, en route to Keeneland for the sales, will no doubt have his own eloquent appraisal of the situation to give in the coming days, but the lukewarm reaction of the crowd to the presentation ceremony told its own story.
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