There was disaster at Newmarket. Jacqueline Quest, owned by quadriplegic Noel Martin, was stripped off his 25th Classic amid heart-breaking scenes. Prince Khalid Abdullah’s French invader Special Duty took the StanJames.com 1000 Guineas from Jacqueline Quest following a Stewards' inquiry on Sunday, May 2, after she finished second by a nose to the 66-1 shot.

The pair flashed past the post together and was separated by just a Nose, but with Tom Queally's mount edging right and causing interference to 9-2 favorite Special Duty, the Stewards intervened and switched the placings. The majority of bookmakers, however, eased the blow to punters by paying out on both Jacqueline Quest and Special Duty.

Noel Martin, who lost the use of his limbs after a Neo-Nazi attack in Germany in 1996, rued: "They took the race away from me. She is still Jacqueline Quest and they cannot take that away from me and she was still first past the post. I have not seen a race taken away in British horseracing since God knows when, but I have been through a lot of bad luck so it is not a problem. I thought these things only happen in France - I have been in bed for four and a half years and had to buy her from my bed. I named her after my wife who died three years after I was paralyzed by the neo-Nazis."

Noel Martin reminds me of Sardar Gurdev Singh from India who had won nine North Indian Derbies in his Herculean horse-training career of 37 years… He gave instructions sitting on a wheelchair in the paddock.

Explaining the decision to change the placings after a tense 10-minute wait, Stipendiary steward, William Nunnelly said, "The winning distance was only a nose and we took the decision as such Special Duty lost the chance of winning by being interfered by the winner.

Jacqueline Quest drifted right, the fillies have touched and Tom Queally had his whip in his left hand. They have come halfway across the course and with a winning distance being just a nose; it was not a hard decision to make."

I think the Stewards took the correct judgment without being biased. To some extent, the issue of whether it was the "right" or "wrong" decision was a dead one. The rules insist that the Stewards "shall make no allowance for any ground which the incident may have cost the horse causing the interference". Both fillies lost ground drifting right, but that loss by Jacqueline Quest does not count.

In the Stan James 2000 Guineas, the Mikel Delzangles trained French colt Makfi (33-1) ran a good race under Christophe Lemaire to win by a length and a half. He made good headway to take the lead at the final furlong marker and remained strong up to the winning post.

Richard Hannon trained duo Dick Turpin and Canford Cliffs came in second and third with St Nicholas Abbey well back. French jockey Lemaire won also the Prix Djebel at Maisons-Laffitte on Makfi earlier this month.

Meanwhile, the Derby champion Super Saver is scheduled to be shipped to Pimlico Race Course May 12 in advance of a Preakness Stakes that could attract a full field of 14.

Preparing for the Melbourne Cup
Only six months are left for the 150th running of Australia’s richest race, the coveted Melbourne Cup. This year, the trophy has been redesigned to model that of Phar Lap, which is a stunning 18 ct gold trophy worth $150,000 and it took a staggering 250 hours to create. The 220 day tour around the globe includes the visits to 10 cities abroad and 32 stops in Australia before the race. It had its first stop in Tokyo to meet up with connections of Delta Blues, the 2006 Melbourne Cup winner. Champion jockey Damien Oliver, who was aboard the 2006 runner-up Pop Rock and who also has two Melbourne Cup winning rides of his own, joined the trophy in Tokyo as well. The Japanese visit was a huge affair as the 2006 quinella, Pop Rock also being from Japan, has remained a fond memory in the country.

Other stops inherently are linked to the history of the Melbourne Cup and the great turf champions who have won it. It includes a visit to Timaru where the legendary Phar Lap trained in New Zealand, South Australia’s Jamestown which is the birthplace of the Cups King- Bart Cummings and Nowra in New South Wales, the hometown of the inaugural Melbourne Cup winner Archer’s 1930 three-handled trophy.

A line-up of the most famous characters and racing greats will accompany the Cup on its world tour including 12-time winning trainer Bart Cummings, David Hayes, owner of 1999 Melbourne Cup winners - Rogan Josh, Wendy Green and Glenn Boss, as also the first female to train a Melbourne Cup winner, Shelia Laxon.

The Cup is due to land back in Melbourne on October 25 before the big race on Tuesday, November 2.