'You win some, you lose some' - Haskoy's St Leger demotion appeal denied

"You win some, you lose some," was the phlegmatic reaction from Ralph Beckett after failing in an appeal on Tuesday to restore his Haskoy to second place in the St Leger.

The raceday stewards felt that Giavellotto, fourth past the post, would have been second but for interference from Haskoy, a conclusion that was upheld at an appeals panel hearing.

Frankie Dettori, who rode Haskoy, gave evidence to the Zoom hearing, apologising for any background noise as he testified from the lobby of a hotel. The implication of his evidence was that Haskoy could have done more to retain second place if she had been seriously challenged.

"The last 100 yards, I was riding at 80 per cent because I couldn't win the race and I was always in control of second place," Dettori said. Haskoy had half a length to spare at the line over New London in third, with Giavellotto a neck further back.

Roderick Moore, a barrister arguing on behalf of Haskoy's connections, pressed Neil Callan, rider of Giavellotto, claiming the jockey had overstated the extent of the interference. "You just didn't have enough horse to go past him. It's as simple as that, isn't it?" Moore said.

"You never stopped riding with hands and heels, you never stopped using your whip. Any suggestion that you were unable to ride with full vigour is not borne out."

Eldar Eldarov (David Egan) wins the St Leger at DoncasterCredit: Edward Whitaker

But Callan argued he had lost two lengths in distance as well as momentum when Haskoy crossed in front of his mount just before the two-furlong pole. "I continually got carried left," he said, "and eventually ran out of room and had to snatch up. I felt like it cost me second."

He pointed out that, as a result of having to switch off the rail, Giavellotto then came into contact with French Claim, further hampering his effort. Callan then returned to the rail as Haskoy drifted off it, only to be tightened up again by the filly in the final 100 yards.

Tim Charlton KC, delivering the panel's verdict, said: "There was considerable interference here, before and just after the two-furlong marker, which cost Giavellotto a lot of distance and momentum. Without that, he would have had a traffic-free run to the line and he had begun a serious challenge at that point.

"Instead, Mr Callan had to take back sharply to avoid clipping heels. That took him into more trouble with Danny Tudhope's mount [French Claim] to his right. This compounded the loss of balance and momentum which Giavellotto had suffered when Haskoy crossed in front of him.

"When Giavellotto returned to the rail, he again suffered a problem at the half-furlong marker when Haskoy squeezed him up. The panel was persuaded that Haskoy's interference prevented Giavellotto from finishing ahead of her."

'It's a relief'

However, Charlton ordered that a financial deposit be returned to connections of Haskoy, acknowledging that "perfectly sensible and legitimate arguments were presented to us".

"You win some, you lose some," said Beckett, who won the 2015 St Leger with Simple Verse via a successful appeal against her demotion by the raceday stewards.

"Mr Charlton evidently put plenty of weight on the chain reaction that involved French Claim and also the tightening up at the half-furlong pole, which wasn't alluded to at the original inquiry. We all understand that appeals are new hearings."

He said Haskoy is on holiday at Banstead Manor but is expected to return to training next month ahead of a possible return to action around May.

Giavellotto now keeps third place, a result that delighted his trainer, Marco Botti. "We were confident the right decision was made on the day but you never know how these things will go," he said. "It's a relief because it's been going on for a while."

Botti added that his horse is a possible contender for the Dubai Gold Cup.

Watch: Eldar Eldarov wins the 2022 St Leger

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