Kia Joorabchian and Amo team fuming as two runners 'wiped out' by wayward winner

The winner's enclosure at Ascot is synonymous with scenes of jubilation but there was not much celebrating going down after the conclusion to the Norfolk Stakes, with connections of third-placed finisher Crispy Cat adamant their horse would have won had he not suffered interference by wayward winner The Ridler.

The stewards reviewed the incident but ultimately deemed the position of The Ridler, ridden by Paul Hanagan, had not been improved by veering severely to his left but owner, rider and trainer of Crispy Cat took a very different view.

Amo Racing's Kia Joorabchian: 'For an experienced jockey to wipe out four horses in the field, I don't even know what to say to that'Credit: Edward Whitaker

"Both our horses got wiped out," said Kia Joorabchian, not only the owner of Crispy Cat but also of runner-up and hot favourite Walbank.

"Crispy Cat got completely wiped out. If that's not a mistake we may as well give up. If you lose fair and square that's fine but for an experienced jockey to wipe out four horses in the field, I don't even know what to say to that.

"[Without the interference] Crispy Cat wins and wins by a margin. I doubt they will change the result but that's not the point. The result is not the issue, the issue is an experienced jockey wiped out four horses."

Silvestre de Sousa is forced to snatch up on the Michael O'Callaghan-trained Crispy CatCredit: Sky Sports Racing

Crispy Cat's trainer Michael O'Callaghan was very much on the same page as his owner but even before the result was confirmed, he was resigned to the fact they had no chance of getting the race in the stewards' room.

"He should have won – plain and simple," said O'Callaghan. "Silvestre de Sousa said he would have won. He never had a clear run through the race and then he got wiped out. He should have won.

"He never got a clear run from the middle of the race and then he got wiped out by the winner when he did get out. He got wiped out and then ran on again, so he should have won."

He added: "In America they can do it but the stewards' here can't put the third first because Walbank has finished second and done nothing wrong. Without interference he [Crispy Cat] would have won."

The Ridler (red silks) continues to hang to his left and starts to come across Brave NationCredit: Sky Sports Racing

De Sousa, rider of Crispy Cat, cut a dejected figure walking in and was unequivocal that interference had cost his mount the win.

The rider said: "I thought he should have won the race. I got completely wiped out from the winner and without that I win."

It was another painful result for Walbank's trainer David Loughnane, who finished second with Go Bears Go in the same race for the same owners last year and found himself in the number two position once more, although stopped short of saying the interference had cost his horse the win.

"It's deja vu," he said. "The horse has done very well and ran his race. I don't think he could have done anything different. I'd be lying if I said I wasn't heartbroken but that's racing.

"We were out in front and probably got a little bit lonely. The winner has come down the outside and come a long way across the track I'd say."

'He did take us out'

Brave Nation was another to be impeded by The Ridler and both trainer Michael Bell and rider James Doyle felt it cost them third place.

Bell said: "We definitely got hampered but the winner probably won fair and square, but he did take us out of the race. Without a doubt we'd have been a couple of lengths closer. It definitely cost us third but it didn't cost us the race."

Doyle added: "I'd have been third but we got badly hampered and it's hard to recover in a five-furlong race. He ran with a lot of credit but I'd have definitely been third without interference."

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