[_ed_]

Seachange's connections are blaming the track.

Rider Ted Durcan, not one to make excuses, blamed the track in part.

Durcan said that after five consecutive days racing at Ascot the surface was chopped up, conditions that have never suited Seachange.

Only a small amount of the forecast rain arrived before the Golden Jubilee.

The commentators on the At The Races feed that New Zealand received made the point that the rain only settled the dust, but you could clearly see clods being thrown back during the Golden Jubilee.

"It was only the top two inches, but it meant you couldn't get a grip," said Durcan. "She was okay while I had hold of her, but when I let her head down she couldn't grip the footing."

Seachange was right behind the pace until the 300m, but when the pressure went on and Durcan had to start riding her along she lost ground on the leaders.

Durcan told Karreman, Williams and caretaker trainer Graeme Sanders that he'd looked after Seachange and that his strong advice was to go forward to the Newmarket meeting.

Sanders said another probable factor was the barrier draw.

Seachange came out of gate No 16, on what is called the far side in Europe and which we call the inside running rail. In the straight course races the winners practically all week at Ascot had been coming down the grandstand side, or outside running rail.

In reverse of the case in Australasia, barrier numbers start from the outside of the track.

The first four, Kingsgate Native, War Artist, Sir Jerry and Takeover Target came from gates 1, 2, 3, 4, which is too significant to be mere coincidence.

Do you think they have a point, or are they just being bad losers?