Longchamp stewards made the right call - but it's agony to see the fates giving Kieran Shoemark another rough weekend

The Racing Gods giveth and they taketh away, but really, it was a bit much letting Kieran Shoemark be first past the post in the French 1,000 Guineas and then demoting him, after the week he'd had. The 29-year-old gave Shes Perfect such a well-judged ride, making the absolute most of her chance from the front, but then she hung to her left in the closing stages, causing interference and dooming herself to demotion.

I wouldn't quarrel with the stewards' decision at all. Whether it's Longchamp or Leicester, you're supposed to keep straight and it's right officials should intervene when a leader gets in the way of a challenger who would probably have edged past otherwise. Shes Perfect got tired and couldn't quite hold a straight line for the last 100 yards. It happens.

The agony of it, though; what a healing, confidence-boosting success that could have been. If human beings must be put through such turbulence, let the demotions happen to jockeys who have been collecting trophies for fun. As it is, Shoemark got within inches of Classic glory on consecutive weekends, most recently on an 18-1 shot, and is probably still left feeling he has something to prove.