Stewards had their hands full early at Eagle Farm with jockeys firing in protests from all angles in the first two races.
Three protests in one race is rare to see so those at Eagle Farm on Saturday could be forgiven for thinking Groundhog Day had struck after enduring six protests in the first two races on the card.
Chief steward Peter Chadwick was hit with the flurry of objections after a dead heat in the first event of the day between Jim Byrne on short-priced favourite Ciccina and Kyle Wilson-Taylor aboard Vendidit before Marnu Potgieter (fourth) lobbed an objection against Mark du Plessis (third).
Stewards eventually threw all three protests out, with many believing Byrne’s shrewd counter-protest against Wilson-Taylor’s initial objection could have saved the day.
In their explanation, Chadwick explained stewards believe the two incidents cancelled themselves out.
Just moments later, stewards were back at it after the QTIS 2YO Handicap (1000m) when Madeline Wishart (fourth, Mishani Mistress) objected against du Plessis (third, Hattusa) and Jackson Morris (first, Mishani Persuasion).
With that protest quickly thrown out, stewards moved on to du Plessis’s separate appeal, also against Morris, who he said laid in and caused him to stop riding his mount out in the straight while only being narrowly beaten.
Ironically, with trainer Les Ross training the quinella in the race, he would have been better off if du Plessis’s objection was held up with the lucrative QTIS fillies bonus coming into play for the second horse.
With a chaotic start to the card, Chadwick was relieved to see the remaining races go off without a hitch.
“I have never had six protests in two races,” he laughed.
FARM TRACK COMES UP A TREAT
Eagle Farm cops its fair share of criticism for being flint hard but its drying ability was on full show this week after coming up a Soft 5 following a midweek deluge.
Headquarters copped 106.5mm of rain from Monday, with a monster 65mm dump on Thursday morning causing the most damage but you wouldn’t know it come Saturday with the track racing well thanks to bright sunshine and a strong headwind in the straight.
It is in stark contrast to 100m across the road at Doomben which officials confirmed would have been rated in the heavy range had racing been there on Saturday instead of Eagle Farm.
Racing at the Gold Coast was held on a Heavy 10 while Ipswich raced on Friday on a Heavy 7.
DARLEEN ON THE MEND
Five months after a horrific trackwork fall, trainer Darleen Duryea is on the road to recovery after it was confirmed she will return home for good on November 1 with the hope of one day walking again.
Australian Trainers’ Association Queensland representatives Les Ross and Cameron Partington delivered Duryea a cheque worth $155,000 on Friday after a significant fundraising drive from the racing industry was organised to help her and her son Liam’s future.
“She has come a long way and with further rehab and physio, she hopes to one day walk again,” Ross said.
“Getting back home to her horses and the farm has been a major incentive encouraging her to work hard. She would like to thank from the bottom of her heart for all the support she has received and hopes to one day be back doing what she loves, training racehorses.”
Originally published as Dramatic start at Eagle Farm with six protests in first two races
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