Some weeks the stewards can't win. This was one of them.
Saturday's Derby was the trigger, but it pulled an older one back into focus – a call from a few weeks ago still causing arguments on social media. Two decisions, two continents, one common thread. Whether they got them right isn't the point of this column – plenty have argued that both ways, and I'll leave them to it. In 2026, getting it right is only half the battle.
Start at Epsom. Derby favorite Benvenuto Cellini was cast in the stalls moments before the jump, his leg trapped in an elevated position, and Head of Stewarding Shaun Parker declared him a non-runner. Cue the storm – the Racing Post called it a farce, former jockey Richard Hughes branded it a "terrible decision." People were always going to be furious whichever way it fell.
Here's what Parker got right. He fronted ITV and Racing TV immediately, posted an explanatory clip, and the BHA followed with a detailed blog: that the rule protects punters who back a horse denied a fair start, that it's been applied six times in 2026 away from the cameras, and that the ITV stalls footage was incidental to a decision already reached. That's accountability under real pressure, and it deserves credit.
Our only quibble: twenty minutes felt long, and the blog's claim that racing leads other sports on "immediate accountability" is a stretch. Tune into the NBA Finals this week and watch referees walk to the scorer's table mid-game to explain a call straight down the camera. Still — the BHA, an easy target for Hong Kong-based columnists over the years, had its head up.
Now cast back a few weeks, to Hong Kong. James McDonald's three-meeting suspension and HK$120,000 fine for careless riding aboard Romantic Warrior in his Triple Crown-clinching Champions & Chater Cup. The charge was carelessness – directing his mount in near the 300 meters and taking Deep Monster from his rightful run.
The reaction told its own story. The Chinese-language chorus landed on the usual line: Antipodean bias, lenient Australian-style stewarding for an Australian-based rider. Unfounded – but a familiar and genuinely dangerous trope if left to run unchecked.
Trainer Yasutoshi Ikee, whose Deep Monster copped the interference, didn't hide his feelings – he said McDonald's use of the elbow disappointed him, that it wasn't an action to urge the horse on, and that such an act on a stage that big was a poor look for the sport. A serious figure asking serious questions.
That's the one thing worth raising. Did McDonald raise his elbow and make contact with Deep Monster or Joao Moreira? A single line from the stewards – the question was asked, the answer was no – might have settled it. When information isn't offered, speculation fills the vacuum, and lately that vacuum gets filled by YouTube vloggers rather than the people who actually know.
I respect Shane Dye enormously, and his point in a recent column that the best stewarding happens quietly and almost invisibly is a fair one. A journalist just brings a different lens. In a case this high-profile, is it time to ask whether inquiries everywhere be livestreamed, or media admitted? If the reports won't carry the detail, let’s open the rooms.
Getting it right is only half the job. Backing the call – with access and rationale – is the other half. In an era where every punter with a smartphone has the same platform as the journalists, jockeys and officials, clear and effective communication is key.
