By Joe Bianca
Three Diamonds Farm has filed an appeal with the New York State Gaming Commission regarding the Saratoga stewards' decision to make no change to the order of finish in the GI Sword Dancer S. Aug. 27.
Juddmonte Farms' Inordinate (Harlan's Holiday), entered in the race as a “rabbit” for heavily favored Flintshire (GB) (Dansili {GB}), led to the top of the stretch in the race before appearing to be guided off the rail by jockey Aaron Gryder while tiring, allowing Flintshire to slip through inside of him. That move impeded Three Diamonds' runner Roman Approval (Roman Ruler) around the quarter pole, forcing rider Florent Geroux to take up sharply. Flintshire went on to win, while Inordinate finished fifth, a half-length in front of Roman Approval in sixth. Mike Maker, Roman Approval's trainer, lodged an objection, but the foul claim was dismissed by the stewards.
Jordan Wycoff of Three Diamonds Farm justified the appeal by pointing to two New York racing statutes that he says Gryder was in violation of: Rule 4035.4, which requires a jockey to ride solely with the purpose of winning the race, and Rule 4035 (2) (a), which prohibits careless riding.
“You can't say Aaron was riding to win this race,” Wycoff told the TDN. “If a rider is careless, he's supposed to be taken down. I stopped it when we were watching at home, he grabbed his right rein and looked back to his left. By definition, that's careless. He never even looked at Roman. He bumped him first, then looked back. When these horses start backing up, you're supposed to be looking to see if it's safe, not trying to open up the rail. We could've clipped heels and taken the whole field down with us.”
Wycoff noted that the rules of New York racing stipulate that Flintshire, as an uncoupled entrymate of Inordinate, could have been disqualified for that one's transgressions, but insists that is not the goal of this appeal.
“I don't think that should happen,” Wycoff said of a potential Flintshire disqualification. “I think he wins every time you run that race. It's not about that. Inordinate wasn't ridden to win the race. It's a $10,000 difference (between the payout for fifth and sixth-place). It's mind-boggling that the stewards didn't see it the way a lot of people saw it.”
Wycoff said the three jockeys involved were called in by the stewards to discuss the events in the Sword Dancer, but no foul claim was made.
“It's tough for a jockey to file an objection against Juddmonte and Chad Brown,” Wycoff said. “By nature, it's just not good for business.”
Wycoff said Three Diamonds has not yet heard back from NYRA or the NYSGC as to their appeal.
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