by John Pawlak, marketing director, USTA

Columbus, OH — The owners of Di Manngio and Lancer Springs, who believed they were unfairly thwarted from a chance to see their horses advance to the C$666,050 Valley Victory Final, have retained a law firm to file an appeal in the wake of an incident in one of two eliminations for the stake that were raced at Woodbine Racetrack this past Saturday.

The pair were racing first and third along the pylons, on their way to the quarter pole. At that point a raccoon came onto the racetrack, spooked the horses, and they went off-stride. At the conclusion of the race, the judges conducted an inquiry and refunded the wagers made on the two horses — but did not declare the race “no contest.”

A release from the owners’ law firm noted that a similar incident at Hazel Park, involving some Canadian Geese, also in a stakes race, ultimately resulted in a “no contest” being declared and the race being contested on a subsequent date. It also cited a race at Woodbine, in May 2006, in which a pair of geese and their goslings walked across the track and interfered with horses — which in that instance led to the judges declaring “no contest.”

As a remedy, the owners of the two horses have asked that the field for the Valley Victory Final be expanded to 12 horses, and that Di Manngio and Lancer Springs be included in the field.

A formal appeal, the release said, will be filed on Monday morning.