Owners to appeal stakes DQ at Gulfstream

The controversy surrounding the disqualification of Midnight Soiree from first to second in Saturday’s $100,000 Martha Washington Stakes will continue indefinitely. According to trainer Lisa Lewis, the owners of Midnight Soiree will appeal the stewards’ decision to place their horse second behind Camila Princess for alleged interference through the stretch run of the one-mile turf event for 3-year-old fillies.

The appeal has to be filed with the Florida Division of Pari-Mutuel Wagering. There is no racing commission in the state of Florida. Midnight Soiree is owned by Randy McBride, James Pickering, Terry Hookstra, and Arcilla Hudgins.

Midnight Soiree crossed the finish line three-quarters of a length in front of the odds-on favorite Camila Princess after the pair engaged in a bumping match through much of the final furlong of the one-mile Martha Washington. Both horses appeared to contribute to the incident equally, with Camila Princess also losing her action on a couple of occasions when leaping over tire tracks on the course during the stretch run. After a long deliberation, the stewards reversed the original order of finish, awarding Camila Princess the victory.

Luca Panici, who rode Midnight Soiree, was held blameless and not given any riding suspension by the stewards in a hearing on Sunday.

“The owners and myself believe strongly that our filly wasn’t at fault,” said Lewis. “And by saying Luca didn’t do anything wrong, not giving him days, I don’t see how the stewards can say the filly did anything wrong either. The other horse definitely started bumping our horse first at the top of the stretch. We started in the six path and she pushed us down to the three path. The original bumping then created a chain reaction that caused additional bumping as they approached the wire. The other filly was also very erratic coming down the stretch, jumping tire tracks along the way. By the final bump, which apparently the stewards felt was the deciding factor, she was already beaten.”

Lewis said the ramifications of the decision go far beyond the difference in purse money between first and second place in the Martha Washington.

“If it had been an allowance race, we might have let it go,” said Lewis. “Bad luck, bad decisions happen in this business. But this was a stakes race, and having a stakes win on the résumé is so important, especially when dealing with fillies having the potential of becoming a broodmare after their racing careers have ended. You just cannot take for granted she’ll win another one. She fought hard to win this race, Luca gave her a beautiful trip, and she deserved it.”