Stewards rule on cup

HARNESS Racing Victoria stewards and Cranbourne judge Lucy McCormick last week agreed to disagree on the result of the recent Cranbourne Pacing Cup.
Stewards made an Australian-first decision to overrule the judge’s verdict on a photo-finish after the owner of second-placed Ohoka Nevada lodged an objection six days after the race.
McCormick, who officiates at most Cranbourne meetings, initially awarded the Group Two race – worth $40,500 to the winning connections – to Cran Dalgety-trained New Zealander Bettors Strike.
But the stewards ruled there was insufficient photographic evidence to support that result, deciding to call it a dead heat and split the prizemoney between the two camps.
Cranbourne Harness Racing Club chief executive David Scott was keen to note that the issue had little to do with the local club, but said that McCormick stood by her decision.
“She’s still adamant that she made a correct decision on the night, having regard to her experience at the track, but ultimately it couldn’t be absolutely proven that the outside horse (Bettors Strike) had won,” Scott explained.
“The connections of Ohoka Nevada successfully argued that the horse on the outside obscured most of the head of their horse, so you couldn’t see where its nose finished.”
HRV conceded that the positioning of the camera at Cranbourne – lower to the ground than some other tracks – was an obstacle to a clear decision and announced a review of the photo-finish systems at all Victorian venues.
Meanwhile, Scott acknowledged that the controversy had provided some handy publicity for his club.
“There’s an upside to everything,” he said.
“And we get to add two pretty smart horses to the honour roll for 2009.
“One of the best things for the club is that Bettors Strike went on to win the Group One Victoria Cup (on Friday night), so it certainly stamps our race as an important race on the calendar when a horse that comes through our cup can go on and win Victoria’s premier race.”