Candy-trained Capton second horse in two days to be disqualified

For years it seemed nigh on impossible for a winner to be disqualified – now, for the second time in two days, a horse who passed the post first ended up second.

On Tuesday Entangling was put down to the runner-up spot after dead-heating with Villette at Leicester. Fast forward to Nottingham on Wednesday, when the Henry Candy-trained Capton was demoted a place after crossing the line first, a short head in front of Frankie Dettori on the John Gosden-trained Jupiter Light in the 1m2f handicap.

Edged left

On this occasion Capton edged quite markedly left in the final furlong, and although he possibly did not even bump his rival, he certainly intimidated him and carried him left.

In a nip-and-tuck finish the stewards decided that a short head between the pair made the difference between winning and losing even though Dettori never stopped riding.

In fact embedded in the rule is a clause that states if the horse that was hampered lost more ground through the interference than it was beaten by then it should be awarded the race.

In this case, that would appear to have been the case, but often in the past that seems to have been ignored.

There were little reaction from the sparse crowd when the result was changed, although the opinions of the professionals were divided.

Henry Candy, who trained Capton, typically took the reverse on the chin saying: "It was a shame but it was a matter of opinion, and the stewards seem to be tougher now."

Although it made no difference to the outcome of the race inquiry Dane O'Neill, who rode Capton, was given a two-day suspension for careless riding when he allowed his mount to drift left.

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