02 August 2023 , 11:25
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Frankie Dettori, William Buick and Oisin Murphy were summoned to the stewards room and quizzed about their riding in the Group 1 Goodwood Cup.
They were among five riders questioned in a running and riding inquiry after winner Quickthorn was allowed to open a huge lead in the 2m feature on Tuesday.
It wasn’t the first time jockey Tom Marquand had ridden his rivals to sleep in a long distance event on Quickthorn.
He executed the same plan on the same horse at York last August when he won the Lonsdale Cup by 14 lengths from Coltrane.
Coltrane, who was third, was among the victims again as Quickthorn opened up a 16 lengths lead at halfway and was not for catching in the straight.
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ITV Racing commentator Richard Hoiles said: “Quickthorn disappeared into the distance and they could not reel him back.
“Briilliant ride by Tom Marquand. When should the others have decided to chase.? Afterwards it’s obvious. It should have been sooner. He got a very, very big lead four furlongs out.
“Emily Dickinson may just have got the bob for second from Coltrane, Eldar Eldarov and Giavelotto. That would have been a good finish. The problem was Quickthorn had already gone beyond recall.”
Murphy said afterwards that Marquand had been “very clever” in slipping away from the field around the sharp bends.
“You can only go so fast around those turns, because they are quite sharp, and by the tie we turned to go back uphill, he had a sizeable advantage," he said.
Others were less charitable on social media with one punter saying: “Wow that is shocking from every other jockey I hate to say but have to be honest, truly shocking.”
Another commented: “This race just goes to show what a really average bunch of riders flat racing really has lol. Tom has had the pants down of supposedly top jocks in Frankie, Moore, Buick, Murphy & so on.
The stewards picked out Buick, who rode Broome, Murphy (Coltrane), Dettori (Courage Mon Ami), David Egan (Eldar Eldarov) and James Doyle (Tashkan) as they were on the leading horses in the chasing pack.
The riders’ explanation that at the point Quickthorn began to extend his lead “which did concern them, they did not believe that it was in their respective mount’s best interest to close on the gelding up the hill,” according to the stewards’ report.
“They were of the view that Quickthorn had gone off too quickly on the good to soft ground and would tire.
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“They felt that in the circumstances they had asked for a timely effort only staying on at the one pace, never threatening the runaway 6-length leader.”