WHILE expressing satisfaction that his horse Campesino was reinstated to first place following a raceday decision by the stewards of the Jamaica Racing Commission (JRC) to disqualify and place him second behind Piscean Rocket on June 22, Howard Hamilton, the owner of Campesino is of the view that punters who backed his horse on the day have come out with the short end of the stick.

“Of course, I am happy. But the decision to disqualify Campesino in the first place was absolute nonsense,” Hamilton said.

Following the disqualification of Campesino for what was officially termed ‘a chain reaction’ interference offence, Hamilton immediately appealed the decision of the stewards. The appeal was heard last Thursday by the commissioners of the JRC who ruled to overturn the decision of the raceday stewards and reinstate Campesino to first position.

“At the appeal, we viewed the video of the race from several different angles, and I believe it was quickly recognised that a grave error had been made, leaving the commissioners with no alternative but to uphold the appeal and reinstate Campesino as the winner,” the long-time owner and now president of the Thoroughbred Owners and Breeders’ Association said.

Hamilton, however, had sympathy for the punters.

“This was a blatant case of misjudgment and the ones who have suffered the most are the punters. They are the ones who support the sport of horse racing and they are the ones who will gain no benefit from this appeal process. Everything should be done to protect them.

“Disqualifying a horse is a drastic measure, and must be handled carefully. Horses don’t make mistakes, it is the jockeys who ride them who err, and they are the ones to be punished by suspensions and fines, not the horse. In most overseas jurisdictions, the decision to disqualify a horse from any position is not taken lightly and comes only after there is no other course of action,” Hamilton said.