Connections of Shes Perfect, the horse thrown out of first in Sunday’s French 1,000 Guineas, have indicated they will appeal the controversial verdict, but on unusual grounds.
Shes Perfect beat the odds-on favourite Zarigana by a nose in the Poule D’Essai des Pouliches, only to be disqualified for causing interference outside the furlong pole.
Shes Perfect and jockey Kieran Shoemark hung left on to the Aidan O’Brien-trained Exactly, who in turn forced Zarigana, the odds-on favourite, to edge left.
The Longchamp stewards judged it was enough to leave sufficient doubt about Zarigana winning the race if interference hadn’t occurred and so they reversed the placings.
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Shes Perfect team believe they have ‘handy’ grounds for appeal over French Guineas disqualification
On Monday, Shes Perfect‘s trainer Charlie Fellowes said he wasn’t questioning that interference took place. But an appeal will be based on what Zarigana’s jockey Mickael Barzalona did after he dropped his whip shortly after the interference took place.
The top French rider struck his mount twice with the whip but then dropped it. He then appeared to repeatedly slap Zarigana’s neck with his hand on the run to the line, up to a dozen times by some estimates.
In a scenario that potentially opens a can of worms in relation to the whip rules, the Shes Perfect team are ready to argue that Barzalona exceeded the number of strikes a jockey is allowed to use on a horse.
The limit on use of the whip in France is four strikes. In Ireland it is eight and in Britain it is seven. However, in France, once you exceed nine strikes, a horse is disqualified.
Fellowes said on Monday that Barzalona was slapping the filly to go faster and outlined a possible future scenario in France based on Sunday’s ruling where jockeys use their whip four times and then resort to slapping their mount.
“Hitting a horse in total – we think – 14 times, with 12 by his hand, we feel is unacceptable,” said Shes Perfect‘s owner ‘Basher’ Watts who has described the disqualification as “farcical”.
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Whip rules in every racing jurisdiction not unreasonably deal with use of the whip and the number of strikes permitted. An Irish Horseracing Regulatory Board spokesman said on Monday there is nothing in the rule book covering overuse of the hand.
In the past, jockeys who have dropped their whip have been known to try and encourage their mounts forward by improvising.
In 2023 Rachael Blackmore won a Grade One hurdle at the Aintree festival on board Inthepocket after dropping her whip after the final flight.
To compensate Blackmore put both reins in one hand and flicked them back and forth on the horse’s neck. It was a manouvere praised at the time by Ruby Walsh, who described it as a “real pony club trick”.
In other news, both of last year’s Irish Guineas winners, Rosallion and Fallen Angel, are set to take their chance in Saturday’s Group One Boylesports Lockinge Stakes at Newbury.
No Irish-trained horses feature among the 10 entries left in the mile highlight after Monday’s latest acceptance stage for what’s shaping into a vintage renewal.
Last year’s Newmarket Guineas hero Notable Speech will represent the in-form Godolphin team. In the mix, too, is Dancing Gemini, who will have race fitness on his side having scored impressively in both of his two starts to date this season.
Separately, Delacroix booked his ticket for Epsom next month with a Trial success at Leopardstown on Sunday, but Dermot Weld is also examining Derby options with the runner-up, Purview.
The Kingman colt had won his only previous start on the all-weather at Dundalk in November and was the last one off the bridle at Leopardstown on just his second career start, ultimately losing to his race-fit rival by less than three lengths.
“This was only his second time on grass this year over 10 furlongs and I thought it was a lovely run by him,” said Weld. “He switched off beautifully. He’s a magnificent big horse, he’s 16.2hh, and he won’t be a horse until he develops into his big frame.
“I reckon the winner is a very high-class colt and you could see the class of his sire Dubawi the way he quickened.
“I’m very happy with my horse and the further he went the better he went. That causes problems going forward to decide which route we go with him. I’ll speak with Prince Khalid’s family and with Barry Mahon before we make a decision.
“He has entries in the Derby at Epsom and the Curragh and also in France. I think there will be nice improvement to come,” Weld said.
Three days of action at Killarney wind up on Tuesday with a flat card featuring some well-known jumping names.
The former Kerry National winner Busselton, a winner over banks at the Punchestown festival, lines up for a two-mile handicap that also includes the high-class Zanahiyr. Off a mark of 77, Gordon Elliott’s charge could be leniently treated, although last year’s runner-up The Banger Doyle also looks a player.
At Sligo’s jumps fixture, the teak-tough veteran True Destiny looks weighted to have a good shot at a third course win.
