OZONE PARK, N.Y. - As the result of a rare double disqualification following a 16-minute review by the stewards, Caramel Swirl was elevated from third place to first in a controversial running of Sunday’s Grade 2, $250,000 Gallant Bloom Stakes at Aqueduct. Sterling Silver, under Javier Castellano, rallied from last to cross the wire first, four lengths in front of Headland, who finished second by a half-length over Caramel Swirl. But Caramel Swirl, ridden by Junior Alvarado, was forced to check hard inside the eighth pole. Alvarado claimed foul against Sterling Silver and Headland, the latter ridden by Jose Lezcano, for interfering with his filly at the eighth pole. The stewards, who did post the inquiry sign, ultimately determined that both Castellano and Lezcano were at fault for causing Caramel Swirl, the 4-5 favorite, to steady and made the rare double disqualification call. Sterling Silver was moved from first to second, Headland was moved from second to third. “One comes in and one comes out in our opinion,” said Braulio Baeza Jr., the New York State Gaming Commission steward who was joined in the stand with NYRA steward Brook Hawkins and Jockey Club steward Sam Randazzo. “You can see the initial contact comes from the outside, Mr. Castellano is dropping in and then you got Lezcano’s horse coming out at the same time. We figured both contributed to [Alvarado steadying] so we couldn’t move just one of them, we had to move both of them.” :: Get Belmont at the Big A Clocker Reports from Mike Welsch and the Clocker Team. Available every race day. Dylan Davis, the jockey of fourth-place finisher Beguine, claimed foul against Caramel Swirl and Sterling Silver, but that claim was disallowed. “We didn’t feel he was moving forward,” Baeza said of Davis and Beguine. Castellano said it was unfair to disqualify Sterling Silver. He alleged Lezcano, on Headland, “came out all the way and put Junior Alvarado in a bad spot. I didn’t come in, I never come in. … I think it’s unfair to disqualify the horse. You want to punish me, punish me, but don’t disqualify the horse. Don’t punish the bettor, the owner, the connections. I think that was the wrong decision.” Lezcano, who on Headland made all the pace, disagreed with Castellano’s assessment. “I never moved from my spot,” Lezcano said. Alvarado said his filly was gaining momentum just before the eighth pole and had a chance to be right there at the wire with an unimpeded trip. “Javier got the jump, he made the first move, I was just getting my momentum going and they started coming over on me,” Alvarado said. “I thought Javier knew I was there, he just overdid it.” Caramel Swirl gave Godolphin Racing, trainer Bill Mott and Alvarado their second stakes win on the card. Earlier on the card, they teamed to win the Grade 2 Vosburgh with Cody’s Wish. Caramel Swirl likely earned herself a shot in the Breeders’ Cup Filly and Mare Sprint, according to Michael Banahan, bloodstock manager for Godolphin USA. Godolphin also plans to run Matareya in that race. “I think we’ll think about it anyway, it’ll probably be her last opportunity, so we’ll have a look at it, see how she comes out of the race and come up with a game plan,” Banahan said. Caramel Swirl (98 Beyer Speed Figure) returned $3.90 as the favorite. The final time of the Gallant Bloom was 1:16.18 for 6 1/2 furlongs . :: Want to learn more about handicapping and wagering? Check out DRF's Handicapping 101 and Wagering 101 pages.