Racing

English St Leger decision on Simple Verse deferred for one week

Golden Horn may run twice more before end of season including against Treve in the Arc

Simple Verse (centre) and Bondi Beach (left) fight out the controversial finish to the Ladbrokes St Leger at Doncaster. Photograph: Julian Herbert/Getty Images
Simple Verse (centre) and Bondi Beach (left) fight out the controversial finish to the Ladbrokes St Leger at Doncaster. Photograph: Julian Herbert/Getty Images
Tue Sept 15 2015 - 01:00

Connections of Simple Verse will have to wait until next week to find out their fate in an appeal against the decision to demote the filly from first place in the Ladbrokes St Leger after the British Horseracing Authority put back a hearing scheduled for Thursday.

Trained by Ralph Beckett for Qatar Racing, the Andrea Atzeni-ridden filly passed the post a head in front of Bondi Beach, but a stewards' inquiry was immediately called into interference as the pair appeared to bump twice in the closing stages.

Following a tense wait, during which Atzeni and Bondi Beach’s rider Colm O’Donoghue argued their respective cases in front of the stewards live on Channel 4, the announcement was made that Simple Verse had been placed second.

Having initially announced the matter would be dealt with this week, the BHA later tweeted: “CORRECTION: Due to issues with availability of participants’ counsel, the St Leger appeal will now NOT be held this Thursday.

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“The hearing will now be held on either Tues 22, Weds 23 or Fri 25 September, TBC based on counsel’s availability. Further updates to be provided this week once availability has been finalised.”

Ground conditions

Golden Horn’s owner-breeder Anthony Oppenheimer is not ruling out the possibility of his star running twice more before the end of the season.

The Derby and Eclipse hero bounced back from a shock defeat in the Juddmonte International at York with victory in the Irish Champion Stakes at Leopardstown on Saturday to set up a potentially mouthwatering clash with Treve in the Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe at Longchamp.

However, ground conditions will be the key factor in deciding whether Golden Horn makes the trip to Paris, with the Champion Stakes at Ascot and the Breeders’ Cup Turf also under consideration.

“The picture as I see it is there are three possible races for him and I think we have to have decent ground. We can’t really give others the advantage,” Oppenheimer said.

“We might get good ground for the Arc, or maybe at Ascot or there is Kentucky to consider. It’s possible he could run in two. Why not?”