Worst DQ of All Time?

[Kitan]

Originally Posted by blackthroatedwind

This was a silly DQ and, at best, it's questionable that there was any real contact. The runner up certainly didn't react to anything. I know it's a different track, but a horse was left up in NY a couple of weeks ago that did MUCH more, and the margin at the finish was virtually identical.

Using a chart call to back up an opinion is a slippery slope. Whether or not someone likes the work of any chart caller, trust your eyes, not someone else's.

I get Dahoss's frustration. Most whines about disqualifications are just that...but this seemed like an unnecessary decision. Surely much worse contact happens in many races that gets completely ignored. Why are stretch brushes so much worse than ones in other parts of any race? A turnover in the first quarter of a basketball is possibly as costly as one late in a game.

Because, depending on the severity of the contact, there is the whole race to recover? Or, the other three quarters of the game to make amends for the one mistake? It's not like the incident occurred at the top of the stretch and the 5 had a chance to re-rally but just hung, losing by a couple of lengths. It happened close to the wire and the 5 had all the momentum.

Here are a couple of example excerpts from the HKJC:

It was further found that after the 400 Metres TIGRE DU TERRE became unbalanced after being bumped by INSAYSHABLE which shifted to the outside of STIMULATION to obtain clear running. Having regard to the fact that this incident occurred just after the 400 Metres and that both horses then had the opportunity to finish off the race without further incident, the Stewards could not be satisfied to the requisite degree that if not for the contact between the two horses passing the 400 Metres TIGRE DU TERRE would have finished in front of INSAYSHABLE. Accordingly, the protest/objection was overruled and weighed-in declared on the numbers semaphored by the Judge.

When MCMUNIGAL shifted in across the rightful running of JIMMU, the rider of that horse had to momentarily desist from using the whip and ease his mount away from the heels of MCMUNIGAL and shift to the outside of that horse to continue improving. JIMMU then continued to finish off the race strongly over the concluding stages. Having regard to the nose margin between the horses at the end of the race and the manner in which both horses were finishing off the race, the Stewards were satisfied that had JIMMU not been hampered by MCMUNIGAL as that horse shifted in at the 125 Metres, JIMMU would have finished in front of MCMUNIGAL and accordingly the protest/objection was sustained and the placings amended

You may not agree with the call (as I certainly didn't when I had Tigre du Terre at 140-1 in one of the sickest nose bobs ever), but this is far from the worst DQ ever. Probably not even the worst this year in Florida.