Midnight Soiree gets win in Martha Washington after disqualification reversed

The owners of Midnight Soiree have won their appeal of the disqualification of their filly from first to second place following the running of the $100,000 Martha Washington Stakes at Gulfstream Park on July 7.

Midnight Soiree, with jockey Luca Panici aboard, crossed the finish line first, three parts of a length in front of Camilla Princess, in the one-mile Martha Washington. The pair engaged in a bumping match through the final furlong that appeared to have been precipitated by Camila Princess, with both fillies equally at fault the remainder of the way.

Following a lengthy deliberation, the stewards reversed the original order of finish, disqualifying Midnight Soiree from first to second and awarding the victory to Camila Princess.

Former Gulfstream Park steward Jeff Noe served as the hearing officer in the case and wrote in his ruling: "After reviewing the films of the race and hearing all testimony, it is evident to me that #8 Camila Princess initiated the contact in midstretch with #7 Midnight Soiree, which continued approaching the finish line. Therefore, the decision of the stewards to disqualify Midnight Soiree is reversed.”

The order of finish for the Martha Washington is now officially Midnight Soiree first, Camila Princess second, and Whiteheelgirl third.

Lisa Lewis trains Midnight Soiree for Randy McBride, James W. Pickering, Terry Hookstra, and Arcilla Hudgins.

“I’m very happy and grateful to the Gulfstream Park management and Mr. Noe to have revisited the race and come to a quick and what we feel to be a very fair decision,” said Lewis. “I don’t envy the stewards for the job they have to do in these types of cases, but we felt very strongly right from the start that our filly hadn’t done anything wrong, that Luca hadn’t done anything wrong, and that she deserved that stakes win on her résumé.”

Lewis said she had not made any plans for Midnight Soiree while awaiting the decision that ultimately came out in her favor late Sunday morning.

“We wanted to get through this first before we looked ahead,” said Lewis. “We just felt like everything was on hold until we could put this behind us. Obviously, we weren’t even sure what conditions she’d have left until the final decision was in. Now we will regroup and talk about what’s next for her. The good thing is she came out of the race well and hopefully can keep improving as we move forward.”