LA AMIGO has shared the Bat Out Of Hell spoils but only after his trainer queried the judge’s original photo finish decision.
Ridden by Taylor Marshall, La Amigo ($21) and Goldsborough ($3.70-fav) hit the line locked together in the Open (850m) in track record time.
But the judge initially found a margin in favour of Goldsborough, even though Marshall reported to connections he thought he got the bob in.
That was enough for trainer Stuart Kendrick to query the decision.
“I couldn’t see a margin, so we went up to the top (to the judge’s box) to have a look and to me it looked like both horses’ noses were on the line,” he said.
With stewards asking the judge to take another look at the photo at 200 per cent, a margin couldn’t be found and a dead-heat was declared before correct weight.
It was a dramatic start to the Hollindale Stakes race day, which was transferred from the Gold Coast to the Sunshine Coast.
“It was a great effort by the horse to sprint so well against the better-credentialled sprinters, and it was even better to get the dead-heat verdict,” Kendrick said.
“It would have been nice to win the race outright, but the dead-heat was still a terrific result,” he said.
La Amigo now has seven wins and three placings from 18 career starts.
La Amigo shares Bat Out Of Hell spoils
