PROTEST DISMISSED - BUT NOBODY CAN FAULT THE COMPETITIVE SPIRIT OF THE KEWESS

By Graham Potter | Saturday, October 2, 2021

The Kewess might still only be negotiating the early part of his three-year-old season, but it would not be an exaggeration to say he is already something of a warhorse for the Melissa Taylor Racing stable.

It would also be fair to say he sometimes fights on against the odds.

Luck in general … or luck in the running in particular … is often a vital ingredient to success. Of course, the same principle applies to every runner, as it is for anyone concerned when luck turns its back on them … so, it goes without saying that being mentioned in a steward’s report is not a good thing as it will invariably contain a reference to a horse being disadvantaged in some way.

The Kewess has had a stewards’ report entry behind his name in all of his last three starts. In fact, the last time he did not rate a mention in a stewards’ report … he won the race, a small detail underlining the big value of a trouble-free passage both in the lead-up and in the race itself.

On October 2 at Doomben, The Kewess lined up in a Doomben in a Three-Year-Old Quality Handicap. He came into the race as a $12 chance on the back of a game second place in the same class over 1100m at the Gold Coast in his previous start.

The Kewess jumped well enough to contest the early lead before taking the sit in third place along the rail, two lengths off the frontrunning Glorious Ruby ($7.50). The Kewess then made brief contact with the Enterprise Pomme as he looked to improve at the top of the straight, but the tough chestnut shrugged off marginal interference and simply got on with the job of trying to chase down the frontrunner.

That was no easy task but, even with Glorious Ruby kicking on strongly, The Kewess managed to build up enough momentum to close right up on Glorious Ruby inside the final 100m, looking likely to go close to getting the result, but a shift of ground from Glorious Ruby left The Kewess running onto heels with jockey Boris Thornton having to take hold and switch The Kewess out …. only slightly, but just enough to break the momentum of his run.

Again, The Kewess did take it up again immediately but, being so close to the finish line, time had run out for him to make any significant response.

As it turned out, both Glorious Ruby (who finished second) and The Kewess (third) were denied victory by the fast finishing $26 outsider It’s all Talk, who railed up strongly, coming from some way back, to take the honours.

Boris Thornton, the jockey of The Kewess, duly fired in a protest against Glorious Ruby.

The stewards reached the following conclusion.

‘THE KEWESS – Bumped shortly after entering the straight. Checked off heels in the concluding stages. Jockey A. Mallyon was reprimanded for this incident pursuant to AR131(a). On returning to scale, jockey B. Thornton lodged an objection against second placegetter GLORIOUS RUBY for alleged interference over the final 100m. Stewards were of the opinion that GLORIOUS RUBY shifted outwards resulting in THE KEWESS becoming awkwardly placed on its heels and having to be taken outwards. Bearing in mind the nature of the interference, the 3/4 length margin and the proximity to the winning post, stewards could not be comfortably satisfied that had the interference not occurred, THE KEWESS would have beaten GLORIOUS RUBY. As such the objection was dismissed and correct weight was declared.’

That, of course, effectively is the only opinion that counts.

That doesn’t mean that there were not those who thought that second place would certainly have been within The Kewess’s reach had the shift from Glorious Ruby not occurred … and, in fact, some would even suggest the win, if allowed a straight run to the line, could not be entirely ruled out.

In the end though, The Kewess’s run was full of merit and once again underlined the fact that he has a competitive spirit to match his above average level of ability.

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