Trainer leaves Houston with no problems

BY AIDAN RODLEY

Mount Sinai's Great Northern Hurdles wasn't won on the racetrack.

But neither was it won in the inquiry room, according to successful rider Shelley Houston.

The Cambridge jumps jockey firmly believes Saturday's $85,000 4190m feature was won on Wednesday and Thursday last week through trainer Ann Browne's exceptional horsemanship.

''This horse was lame two days ago,'' Houston revealed afterwards.

''The day before that he was on three legs. They've done a great job with him. Mrs Browne's a great horseperson and she's done a great job.''

Browne conceded the Kilimanjaro eight-year-old gelding had sustained a stone bruise but played down how serious the injury was and her role in fixing it.

''It happened on Wednesday and we swum him that day and then took his shoe off and poulticed it, and the next day put the shoe back on,'' Browne said.

''It was better luck it happened on Wednesday rather than Friday.''

Mount Sinai showed no discomfort whatsoever as he produced a proficient front-running display of jumping on Saturday and neither did he flinch when challenged by Wellington Hurdles winner Solid Steal in the straight.

The pair touched twice going into the final fence and though Mount Sinai got the better of the final jump and briefly headed the Paul Nelson-trained Solid Steal soon afterwards, it was the Hastings grey that crossed the finish half a length in front.

The problem was that Richard Eynon's mount wouldn't go straight and lay all over Mount Sinai in the last 200m with Houston unable to comfortably ride out the finish, especially over the final 40m.

Predictably the protest siren went off and it was the Judicial Control Authority panel which was charged with deciding who would win the race.

Browne was reluctant for the protest to go ahead.

Her cousin Carol is Nelson's wife and even in the face of losing a Northern by foul means, Browne was prepared to forego the victory in the name of family.

The stewards were having none of that and stipe Warwick Robinson showed video evidence that Solid Steal had drifted out ''seven to eight horse widths'' after jumping the last fence.

Nelson countered that by saying all horses shifted out after the final fence looking for better ground and at no stage did Houston stop riding Mount Sinai.

Browne argued that Solid Steal shifting out had cost Mount Sinai.

''At the end of a race like this, it doesn't take a lot to make a difference to how a horse is running,'' she said.

Houston was adamant that Solid Steal's outward movement had cost Mount Sinai the race with the first contact after the final fence coming when her horse was ''at least half a head'' in front.

''The other horse is leaning on him which is when we lost ground. I felt I had the better of him at that stage,'' she said.

Stipendiary steward Allan Coles lodged the inquiry and told the hearing: ''When you are dictated out seven or eight horse widths and the margin was half a length, I believe it has cost that horse its chance of finishing ahead.''

As connections drifted out of the protest room, it seemed a foregone conclusion that the result would be overturned.

A subdued Nelson said: ''It was nice for a while.''

Browne wasn't any more animated on hearing the JCA panel's decision to uphold the protest.

''It's a hollow feeling, an empty feeling,'' she said.

It was Browne's fourth Northern Hurdles win after Salezaar in 1996, Gold Story in 2000 and Smart Hunter in 2001 and her first since the death of her husband, and former co-trainer and co-owner Ken in 2006.

Mount Sinai's win was his fifth in 32 starts and his third and easily most significant hurdle victory in 12 starts.

It also gave 27-year-old Houston her biggest win.

''You always want to win a Northern but I can't even say what this means at the moment,'' she said.

''I'm just pleased to have my name up there, that's all, and to have done it in Mrs Browne's colours. He's the gutsiest little horse you'd ever ride and he deserves this.''

Eynon, who had only gained the ride on Solid Steal when booked rider Daniel Stackhouse was left stranded in Christchurch when all flights out of that city were cancelled because of the earthquake, had a one-word answer for how he felt.

''Gutted.''

Eynon was later suspended for three days and fined $500 for careless riding resulting from the incident.

Matamata mare Southern Countess, trained by Peter Brosnan, stuck on well after racing handily throughout for third, nine lengths adrift of the first pair. Grand National Hurdles winner Joint Effort was 2 3/4 lengths further back in fourth.

- © Fairfax NZ News