The Stewards will penalise Jk. Mukesh Kumar on Merlet for not maintaining a straight course and Antony Raj on Morano for excess whip. 

Both done, the penalising authority will go scot free for giving a wrong judgement, over-ruling the objection. 

"Seeing is believing", the majority in this thread were in favour of "Upholding"  the objection which means the concerned officials had erred.

If the authorities could not apply their mind correctly, they are unfit for this job and should have been penalised heavily. Natural Justice will have to prevail.

Team Morano,

Your filly won the race on the turf but lost it with the Stewards! With my 35 years' experience, what I saw was outrageous. The only question we should ask the judges: in a fair-run race, who would have won? I’m sure they’d agree it was Morano. The rear-view replay was conclusive, showing the quantum of interference! I wonder what drove the judges to overlook the merit! I had better faith in their judgment, alas, it’s broken.

NB: I had put my money on the WINNER who caused the interference; yet my take on the race here is unbiased as it should be, I am not blind either .

Should have been upheld. Merlet drifted almost from the inner rails to the sand track taking out Morano also bumping it. jockey continued to whip with right hand inspite of drift thus taking no measures to correct it. Obvious interference which caused Morano the race. 

Morano was pushed towards extreme sand side. If I am the Steward my decision would be to Upheld the Objection rightly pit by the connections of Morano.

When an objection is lodged, the stewards' main task is to assess whether the interference could have altered the outcome of the race. Issues like excessive use of the whip or weight differences between horses are not the stewards' focus in these situations. The key factor is how the interference affected the horse’s run and whether it influenced the final result.

Take the case of Merlet, who drifted out and interfered with Morano. Despite this, Morano continued to make up ground, indicating that the interference had a significant effect on the race's outcome. In this instance, the objection should have been rightfully upheld.

That said, stewards are not always perfect in their decision-making. There are times when favouritism may cloud their judgment. It's crucial for the integrity of the sport that decisions are made fairly, and that objections are carefully considered based on their true impact on the race.

Well Done to both the fillies and their connections. They both ran their heart out. My instant thoughts were UPHELD when the replay was played. Unfortunately it went the other way and Morano lives to fight another day.

Same thing happened to me in Pune derby last year, where santissimo vs Redefined the objection verdict came in latter favour it took me nearly 2 weeks to come out of that disappointment,  Morrano by Dali is a good horse unfortunately that day it wasn't lucky again this scenarios remind me that in racing anything can, happen even the horse is in its peakkkk .

I'm team Morano and after reviewing the race and discussing with friends, we just have to take this race as a motivation to do well in the derby and in winter.

This is a case where 99 percent of weight is in our favor and since the case is not crystal clear (100 percent), the stewards took the heartbreaking decision of over ruling. 

Also, Antony used the whip in excess and should be punished and Mukesh for going so diagonal in the straight.

I do know objections have been upheld in other centers for less and let's not take those cases as the yardstick.

I watched the video several times. The decision is RIGHT. Anothny Raj had all the space in the world to finish from outside. Instead he drifted inside and came too close to Merlet who was inside.

@ Deepshikha Pasari ; What you saying is absolutely wrong  The Kolkata steward was absolutely correct in giving the objection overruled . I think they did not watched the race properly ...Mukesh whip was in his right hand n when Anthony came from behind he had ample time n space in taking outer side of the track but Anthony tried to pjay mental gane n when he came very close and that actually cost him race n in last 50 meters mukesh had advantage of using whip as his right hand side was absolutely clear... 

Anthony woild have won had he not given chance Trevor but when he saw Trevor horse a mere class 5 winner was unable to catch the  tail of mukesh horse he started charging and his team manipulation cost them race. But as in end Ashya Doctor always says when her horse wins that best horse have won so I think she should accept the fact that best horse won.... 

The objection had sufficient merit to be upheld on the straightforward grounds that the winner took Morano’s ground while nearly abreast, thereby denying it a fair opportunity to compete. Considerations such as body weight, excessive whip use, or speculation about the outcome had Merlet run straight are irrelevant. If the RCTC wishes to advocate for fairness in racing, then the decision to dismiss the objection is deeply questionable and strikes at the very core of its stated principles.

Whatever the verdict may be, a Stipendiary Steward cannot opine, suggest, or reveal the verdict of an objection on live camera or any public forum before the Stewards officially announce it. Doing so would be a serious breach of duty and decorum, possibly inviting disciplinary action or internal review.

Under the Indian Rules of Racing, the role of the Stipendiary Steward (Stipe) is limited to investigative assistance, fact-finding, and submitting internal reports to the Board of Stewards. The Stipe is not vested with any authority to adjudicate or publicly declare outcomes of objections or inquiries. Any commentary or suggestion made by the Stipe on live camera or in public, before the Stewards' official verdict is announced, constitutes a violation of due process and the principles of natural justice.

According to Rule 58 of the RWITC Rules of Racing: “The Stipendiary Stewards shall assist in the conduct of inquiries and submit their opinion and report but shall not have voting rights in the decision of the Board of Stewards.”

This rule makes it clear that while Stipes can provide recommendations and evidence during an inquiry, they are expressly excluded from the decision-making process. Therefore, they are not empowered to announce or even imply the outcome of an objection before the official declaration by the Stewards.

If a Stipe comments publicly on a pending objection before the Stewards' verdict, it can lead to several issues: prejudicing the parties involved, undermining the impartiality and authority of the Board of Stewards, violating the confidentiality of deliberations, and creating procedural confusion among the public and stakeholders.

It is an established convention under the Turf Authorities of India that all public communication during or after inquiries must be authorised by the Chief Steward or the Board. Stipes are expected to maintain discretion and neutrality throughout. Their role is purely investigative—not adjudicatory.

In conclusion, the Stipendiary Steward is not authorised to express or suggest the outcome of any objection or inquiry in public before the Stewards announce their decision. Any such action would constitute a breach of the Rules of Racing, specifically Rule 58, and erode the integrity and fairness of the racing system.

Dekho bhai... this Morano is only sprint type horse.. now if she got scared and intimidated by 80kgs coming towards her then she is chicken not horse. More so it is the trainer and owner fault for running in wrong distance. There should be enquiry on that first. Now when she goes back to 5 and 6 furlongs she will win 5-6 races in a row..

Well the objection should be upheld by the Stewards. In the last 150 metres Merlet was driffting and blocked Morano way. Morano is the feature filly for upcoming classic events at RCTC. but the decision was not fair and well know senior stewards what is right or wrong. Good luck Morano for the classic events at Kolkata.

The objection should have not only been upheld, jockey Mukesh should have been suspended for improper use of whip, and inability to maintain a straight course there by endangering the other horses and jockeys lives in the race. He did the same in the Hyderabad Fillies Trial last week and he was let go by the panel.

Most unfair result, not expected from knowledgeable people at RCTC, but the consensus was it was upheld only to convince people that the guys at the helm are not partial to Aashay and his stable since most people sitting on the panel are his stable owners and very good friends with Mr. Pasari. It was an eye wash result, and you were collateral damage Ms. Pasari. Your horse was the deserving winner.

Sir ,

Kindly check the video once again, Anthony raj has whipped filly for eleven times which is  already  excess according to my knowledge in foreign it is to be six times in UK(I didn't know how many times in India). After such harsh treatment filly doesn't overcome the front runner(I mean winner market). Yes indeed merlet ridden by mukesh Kumar came on to him and he absolutely ridden carelessly but that doesn't make order reversal as already in this case winner is Superior.I hope there would be penalty or suspension on him for careless riding)

Thanks and I too played morano the feather weight filly heated too lately in my sense.

This opinion is truly according to my racing experience.

Deepshikha, 

An amateur could have also predicted that the verdict would have been UPHELD after the stewards enquiry. What no one has mentioned here is that it seemed that jockey Mukesh Kumar had gauged from his peripheral vision that Morano was moving too fast and it would be impossible for Merlet to win unless Morano's stride is broken. It seemed so evident that jockey Mukesh intentionally started drifting from about 200 metres. No blame to jockey Mukesh as he did everything in his power to make Merlet win. However after the bump at about 75metres this objection would have been UPHELD anywhere in the world.

We all in Hyderabad  keenly  watched the drifting and inconvenience caused to Morano by Merlet.We are sure of  genuine objection by Antony.Alas the judges thought otherwise,!

I strongly feel that the objection is rightly overruled.

Had there been no interference, and if Mukesh would have whipped on his left side in the last 100 mtrs, Merlet was a clear winner by atleast 2 lengths.

Moreover, Antony had used excessive whip, more than 10 times in the straight and he should be punished for this offence.  (And you are expecting more whips???)

Mukesh also should be punished for not exercising caution when his horse was drifting out, he should have corrected it by changing the whipping hand.

Overall, excellent decision by the stewards!!!

The general feeling around was it would be upheld and it was shocking how strongly the stewards opinion was against it.

Didn't seem to reflect what was seen by all.

With her finish im sure she can win next time.

Good that someone noticed it. I did not play for the win, but still, even when I am playing for place, as a true horse-racing enthusiast, every time a fair and unbiased race is needed. Yesterday itself I told my friend that the results would remain the same, because if Morano was declared the winner, it would be an absolute disaster for the bookies and the connections.

Merlet was simply shifting onto the body of Morano in the final 150 meters. If there had been a clear run, Morano was striking the board as the winner. Let me give one similar example: in Hyderabad last month, a similar incident occurred. I had backed Taaliyaan for a high-odds place with 10k at 5/1 and 1k at 16/1. The same type of interference happened with Taaliyaan, but the stewards still upheld the result because in truth, Most Beautiful was collapsing onto Taaliyaan’s ride, leaving no ambiguity.

And here is the crucial catch: Taaliyaan was at high odds, and 90% of the public would not back it with the bookies. But yesterday, since Morano was at shorter odds, they chose not to uphold the fairness of the race. If Morano had been at high odds, they would have let the result stand. The reality is, yesterday’s decision was simply unjust.

And now my great HTains who wanted Merlet to win can say anything, but before speaking, keep the Taaliyaan and Most Beautiful race on one side and yesterday’s race on the other side, and then tell me what the difference is. Only then we will talk.

Sad and shocked that the objection was overruled. She deserved to win. Here's wishing her better luck... and onwards and upwards from here! 

Morano is a super talented filly. Drop her back to 6f. Go Morano! We love you.

Morano is a star! There's a lot more in store for this little one with a big heart.

Definitely the objection should have been upheld, don't understand the objection rules and their implementation rules, all rules will be put aside based on some false interests.