'I felt we were hard done by' – Winston upset after Nearly Caught demoted

Nearly Caught was denied a Group 2 victory and the bonus of an invitation to the Belmont Gold Cup in New York after being disqualified for causing interference in Germany's premier staying race on Sunday.

Jockey Robert Winston said he was "really upset" by the decision of the Hoppegarten stewards to demote the Hughie Morrison-trained eight-year-old to second and award first place in the Comer Group International Oleander-Rennento the Peter Schiergen-trained Sound Check.

Nearly Caught had finished second in the same race 12 months ago behind Red Cardinal, who went on to land the Belmont race, a Grade 3 prize worth $400,000 and run over the same two-mile distance as the Oleander-Rennen.

"I'm really upset for the owner [Anthony Solomons], especially because the horse lost an invitation to the Belmont Gold Cup as a result of the demotion," said Winston.

"I felt we were very hard done by. The other rider [Andrasch Starke] never stopped riding. I went well clear of him once I got on to the rail and had a lot more in the tank compared to the second.

"He's only slowly reeled me in because Nearly Caught wasn't doing much in front and it's an uphill finish."

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