Call for Universal rules after shock result!

Racing Post

CLASSIC-winning trainer Mark Tompkins has called for racing to unify its rules following Dar Re Mi's disqualification inthe Qatar Prix Vermeille at Longchamp on Sunday.

The John Gosden-trained filly was first past the post in the 1m4f Group 1 but was thrown out and placed fifth by the stewards after hampering unplaced German raider Soberania.

Second-placed Stacelita, sent off the odd-on favourite, was subsequently awarded victory.

Dar Re Mi's connections were upset at the decision, which may have differed had the race taken place in Britain.


Tompkins, who saddled Bob's Return to win the St Leger in 1993, has urged the authorities to remedy this and used the comparison of other sports's rules to highlight his argument.

Quoted on his website, he said: "All other sports, whether it be football, rugby, darts, poker, golf, tennis, cricket etc, have worldwide rules and everybody knows where they are.

"You can play the sports anywhere in the world and the rules are always the same. Why we cannot get the rules, whether it be doping or the interference / running rules, universal is absolutely beyond me.

"We must make all effort - or the powers that be must make the effort - to get this done as soon as possible."

In France, the rules dictate that when stewards deem a horse to have been denied prize-money through interference, the instigator of that interference - adjudged to have been Jimmy Fortune on Dar Re Mi - must be disqualified, and placed behind the perceived victims, in this case Soberania, riddden by Johan Victoire.

By contrast, in Britain, the BHA rules state that: "If the stewards are satisfied that, on the balance of probabilities the interference did improve the placing of the interferer in relation to the sufferer, the placings must be altered. Otherwise, the placings must remain unaltered."

Racing post

Unification of British and French rules unlikely


THE prospects of Britain and France reaching agreement on interference rules appeared remote after the BHA's chief stipendiary steward claimed French officials have repeatedly refused to discuss changing the rules that Dar Re Mi fell foul of in Sunday's controversial Qatar Prix Vermeille.

William Nunneley said that while progress had been made in persuading other jurisdictions to adopt rules that would have allowed Dar Re Mi to keep the Group 1 prize, France and Japan were "way off thepace".

"Pretty much everybody bar Japan and France are doing the same thing," Nunneley said.

"America do demote horses but I don't think they would have demoted that horse yesterday.

"We only demote a horse if the interference it caused stopped another horse from beating it, or it's a serious riding offence. I would guess that the majority of racing jurisdictions would have left that result alone."

However Nunneley's counterpart at France Galop, Henri Pouret, said: "It is not so categoric. We are both participating in a commission on harmonisation. France, Japan and certain states in the US use the French system under which if a horse interferes with another horse and stops it obtaining the best possible placing, then the placings are reversed. If the English thought the German horse [Soberania] would never get in front of Dar Re Mi then they wouldn't change the result."

SA changed to the UK system as they had previously had the same rules as France(&others).
In my opinion,the result of objections was more consistent with the old system,and whilst both have merit,the old system was probably more fair for PA/trif/quartet punters?
It is probably a good idea to have universal rules but it would be interesting which system would prevail.

Was always a FPTP man

Do they still use it in the UK Hibby?

In fact, I registered the first horse racing tipping service in SA and called it

First Past The Post!

I recall similar treatment being handed out to Nureyev after he won the 2000 Guineas, for interference caused 4 furlongs or so out to Posse. At the time looked more political that factual as Nureyev was trained in France.

scotia Wrote:

---

> Was always a FPTP man
>
> Do they still use it in the UK Hibby?
>
> In fact, I registered the first horse racing
> tipping service in SA and called it
>
> First Past The Post!

most bookies now pay the double result for singles but o/r for mixed bets

This is for you magic, we did see the race and agree a shocking result.

Just listened to Robin Bruss on the topic "Inside Racing"

Thanks, Dave. I never saw the race, whose aftermath inevitably led to accusations of bias by the French stewards. Revenge for Nureyev even after all these years maybe? An appeal lodged by Dar Re Mi's owner Lord Lloyd Webber against the finding of the on-course Stewards has incidentally been subsequently turned down.

Just brought the race video to the top for you from Hibby, if he was not in the bookies, I am sure he could have done it easier than me.

lol

Rob De Kock has his say on French rules:

French officials begin 'to melt ice' in rules debate


TALKS on the international harmonisation of raceday rules, notably those relating to interference, have moved forward, following a weekend meeting in HongKong of members of a working group put together by the International Federation of Horseracing Authorities.



Fundamental differences of approach by France, Japan and the US on one side - and the rest of the major jurisdictions on the other - have so far blocked progress on agreement, which is intended to help participants in international racing and most particularly punters betting on overseas events.



France has so far proved the major dissenter, despite calls for change by France-Galop chairman Edouard de Rothschild on the eve of the Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe. French racing officials received widespread criticism for the demotion of Dar Re Mi in the Prix Vermeille back in September.



However, the working group's chairman, top South African administrator Rob De Kock, reported on Monday: "I think France is beginning to melt the ice. Their officials are starting to realise they need to make a move."



De Kock, who had hinted he would quit the group if there was no sign of progress, added: "I can see no prospect that any of us - Europe, South Africa, Australia and the Far East except Japan - will go back to our old rules, so France has to move, or we will call it a day.



"The French system, whereby the interferer is placed behind the sufferer, wherever the sufferer finishes, is causing intolerably unfair results, such as in the Da Re Mi case."



De Kock said he had been encouraged by the fact that seniorracing officials from Britain, France and Ireland had met recently to discuss their differences.



He added: "It's good for the three of them to work together in the first instance, because if we can reach agreement there, we'll have the catalyst for other countries to move."



De Kock said he realised that French racing officials, who operate with 800 stewards, had a particular problem of bringing in new rules universally.



However, his group has asked France-Galop officials, with those from Japan and the US, to explore the possibility of a halfway house, by introducing the majority view on interference for Group races.



He added: "I was really encouraged by this weekend's meeting. For the first time it looked as people were prepared to shift their position."