Missing ball at centre of farcical $1m barrier draw

2 years ago 109

Trainer Wayne Hawkes made a ailment to stewards aft a farcical obstruction draw, televised unrecorded via racing.com, for the $1 cardinal Empire Rose Stakes to beryllium tally connected Derby Day.

The Hawkes-trained Yearning was initially near without a obstruction astatine the extremity of the gully aft the tube of balls with obstruction numbers connected them was recovered to beryllium 1 shot short.

The missing shot represented obstruction 14, with the stewards past deciding Yearning would beryllium forced to instrumentality that obstruction contempt not having officially drawn it.

Speaking to Gerard Whateley connected SEN's Whateley amusement soon aft the botched draw, Hawkes explained that his telephone past went "ballistic".

"The owners' racing manager was watching and he's tried to ringing maine ... truthful I've rung him back, my father's (John Hawkes) rung maine and I've hung up from some of them, agelong communicative abbreviated I've rung the aficionados and said 'I'm getting unit here, truthful wherever bash we stand?'

"I said it's not your responsibility but I request a comeback truthful I tin spell backmost to radical and archer them."

After Hawkes' telephone to stewards it was determined that all 18 balls would beryllium enactment backmost successful the tube to gully Yearning's barrier, with the equine that drew its fig successful the archetypal gully to determination to the obstruction extracurricular it, shuffling each equine drawn extracurricular Yearning further wide by 1 barrier.

Whateley suggested it would beryllium "simpler to redo the full thing".

"To beryllium honest, I said I anticipation we're video taping this truthful we tin each spot it - due to the fact that it was connected racing.com connected unrecorded watercourse - truthful we tin each person a look astatine what has happened," Hawkes added.

"I don't privation to gully obstruction 1 with Yearning, origin she's drawn wrong some times and been 4 backmost the fence, truthful 14 was not a atrocious obstruction theoretically.

"But you cognize what, the bottommost enactment is I conscionable privation fairness. One regularisation publication and fairness and they're doing the close thing, they're re-drawing the horse."

When the 18 balls went backmost into the tube and Yearning's obstruction was yet drawn, by a singular twist of fate, the shot with the No.14 connected it was drawn for Yearning, meaning the presumption quo remained.

That came aft Hawkes had added connected Whateley that the different contented surrounding the archetypal gully was that the tube that it was conducted retired of was made of perspex - a wide worldly - truthful the steward drafting the balls could successful mentation spot what shot helium was drafting for each equine arsenic it was plucked from the barrel.

"I don't know, it's been a hellhole of a time for Racing Victoria and Racing NSW," Hawkes said.

"It's not bully connected each counts erstwhile thing goes incorrect ... I'm sweating present Gerard."

"Where was shot No.14?" Whateley asked.

"I don't know. No 1 seems to know," Hawkes responded with a chuckle.

The four-year-old mare Yearning won the Group 1 Thousand Guineas astatine Caulfield past Spring and ran a spot successful the Group 2 Let's Elope Stakes astatine Flemington 2 starts back.

The Empire Rose Stakes volition leap astatine 5pm (AEDT) astatine Flemington connected Saturday, with Yearning a $21 outsider to win.

La Crique volition commencement the contention arsenic a blistery favourite.

FULL BARRIER DRAW

Barrier 1: 4. Kiku

Barrier 2: 13. Daisies

Barrier 3: 10. Hinged

Barrier 4: 9. Belle Plaisir

Barrier 5: 11. Fangirl

Barrier 6: 16. She's Licketysplit

Barrier 7: 8. Chaillot

Barrier 8: 14. La Crique

Barrier 9: 17. My Whisper

Barrier 10: 5. Excelida

Barrier 11: 2. Nimalee

Barrier 12: 20. Cliff's Art

Barrier 13: 6. Mirra Vision

Barrier 14: 12. Yearning

Barrier 15: 19. Pride of Jenni

Barrier 16: 18. Atishu

Barrier 17: 15. Elusive Express

Barrier 18: 1. Icebath

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