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Sunday, 13 September 2009 17:44 |
Sunday, Sept. 13th. Previously unbeaten, the 3 year old Stacelita (Monsun) returned to the track today but was unable to get the better of her elder Dar Re Mi (Singspiel) in the last 100 metres of the Prix Vermeille (Gr1 - 2,400m). But the stewards were not happy with the result and after a long inquiry, the winner was demoted to 5th place for having interfered with the German 5th-placed Soberiana (Monsun). This decision provoked controversy and outrage not normally seen at Longchamp, writes Le Frog.
Led by her stable companion Volver (Danehill Dancer) until around 300m from the line, after a hesitation by the Ieader's jockey Ioritz Mendizabal, Stacelita made her move on the rail and took a lead of just 2 lengths. The win looked to be in the bag. In her wake, however, Dar Re Mi had dived through the gap and taken off in hot pursuit. Soberiana tried to make the same move but the English filly was quicker off the mark, hence the stewards' awakening.
We had the feeling at 100m from the line that the winner of the Pretty Polly Stakes (Gr1-2.000m) and the Yorkshire Oaks (Gr1-2.400m), who was in full speed, was going to crush Stacelita. But Jean-Claude Rouget's winner of the Prix de Diane fought back to be beaten only by a short neck. A length and a half behind in third was Plumania (Anabaa) ahead of Board Meeting (Anabaa), who were confirming the result of the Diane. Soberiana ran on well to finish 5th.
After a long enquiry, Dar Re Mi was demoted, and the winning connections are "definitely" going to appeal this decision made by the France Galop stewards.
Before hearing the result of the enquiry and without seeming worried by any problems, the composer Andrew-Lloyd Webber and his wife were enthusiastic with the result of their only horse in training and already dreaming of Dar Re Mi's possible participation in the Arc, which they thought was "a dream". They only wanted to ask the opinion of their trainer John Gosden, who was absent due to the Keeneland Sales. And now? The owner was "disgusted" and spoke of never having another runner in France again. His wife was more fixed on revenge: "We'll come back and win the Arc de Triomphe."
The public didn't seem to be any more pleased by the decision, and it was to a chorus of boos and hisses that Martin Schwartz went up to collect his trophy from the podium. A very sad affair for racing in general. Martin Schwartz could not care less: the difference between the prize money for 1st and 2nd in the Vermeille is exactly the cost of supplementing for the Arc; €100,000.
Winning trainer Jean-Claude Rouget was unitially frustrated to see his filly lose her unbeaten status: "It is always diappointing but she hadn't had a run since June and was competing against older, more experienced fillies today. It was obvious that the one to be feared was Dar Re Mi. Stacelita's had a good trip and I put a pacemaker in because she likes to run in front and I did not want her to have too much to do for her comeback. If she's well enough, we'll supplement her in the Arc." As for the winning rider Chrsitophe Lemaire, he was happy with the filly : "It was her first time over a mile and a half and she's done very well. When Dar re Mi came by, she responded well but the other one was at full speed and we could not accelerate again."
Manager to the Wertheimers, Pierre-Yves Bureau was happy with the third-placed Plumania, who just held off Board Meeting to the line. "She needs a good pace and did well today. But the Arc is a tall order and she'd rather go for the Prix de Royallieu (Gr2-2,500mT), the day before." As for Elie Lellouche, Board Meeting's handler, he quoted the Prix de l'Opera (Gr1-2,000mT) for the Wildenstein filly.
The action taken by the stewards surprised many, but the French rules are very strict. Any horse impeding another one from getting a better place home must be demoted behind him. In Britain, a horse is demoted if he gains a place by interfering on another one. The whole spirit is completely different. Britain promotes sport while France promotes Social bloody security. It is all very nice to behave like a gentleman, only when it is not at the others' expense. It was obvious today that Dar Re Mi had beaten Stacelita on merit. She was the best horse in the race. Yet she was robbed from her well-deserved victory for a detail. It would have been fairer to sanction the rider if a mistake had been done, even though Jimmy Fortune had had to move inwards because Stacelita's pacemaker edged left to open the gap for her stablemate... So now, who's responsible for that ?
As for Johan Victoire, Soberania's rider, he never stopped to ride his mount but was simply boxed in because Dar Re Mi moved first. The Lloyd-Webbers will lodge an appeal but very seldom do the France Galop authorities change a decision made by their chums. They are all cut from the same cloth.
God destroyed the Babel tower to make such differences exist and expose mankind's failures. The Vermeille mess was a failure on its own and "God" was wearing a bowl hat.
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