Sir David didn’t need anyone to tell him he was right.
Not that it doesn’t feel good anyway.
Barbados Turf Club (BTC) president and race horse owner Sir David Seale finally got his vindication after controversial Kittitian horses Bad Action and Al Portador were eventually deemed ineligible to race at the Garrison Savannah for this year’s Sandy Lane Gold Cup.
Word of the ruling came via press release yesterday following the decision given by the BTC’s appellate stewards – headed by Sir Denys Williams – in response to the protest initially lodged by Sir David, prominent owner Eugene Melnyk and Stephen Bynoe.
“St Kitts is not a recognised race track in any part of the world, and horses who take part in their events can never ever run at a recognised meet,” explained Sir David in a telephone interview with WEEKEND SPORT.
“Their track may look nice and sweet, but they don’t have dope testing and they’ve never been inspected or recognised as an official jurisdiction.
“So I just got the last laugh [on the stewards] because all they had to do was check the rules first before making such a decision. But as I said in the release, their problem is that they want to shoot the messenger before understanding the message,” he added.
The situation first made the headlines back in February when Sir David, Melnyk and Bynoe objected to Kittitian racehorse owner Arthur Sharpe entering his horses for the Caribbean’s most prestigious race.
However, lawyers representing Sharpe threatened legal action if the stewards refused the horses’ entry and the day’s races went forward under protest.
But Bad Action failed to make an impression in the Gold Cup anyhow, finishing down the field in seventh while Al Portador was entered in the Spa Sprint and passed the post last.
Whatever earnings the two horses generated would’ve been withheld by the Turf Club until a decision was made on the appeal.
“Thankfully the decision doesn’t change anything other than the fact that no race horse coming from a non-recognised racing jurisdiction will ever be allowed to run here again,” said Sir David.
“And it’s my responsibility as president of the Turf Club to see that our racing is being conducted under the rules. That’s why I laid the objection with Eugene Melnyk, who is well aware of the rules as a member of the Jockey Club of Canada.”
His protest wasn’t the only one piece of controversy to hit the Gold Cup, or even the biggest.
Show Me The Money’s initial victory was overturned after an objection was lodged by the connections of Apostle, who alleged jockey Jalon Samuel had interfered on the stretch run.
Zoom, the horse that passed the post second, was eventually awarded the race.
