“Horse’s fault”: RV chief steward explains controversial Fleetwood decision

Racing Victoria’s chief steward Rob Montgomery has provided some clarification surrounding the Fleetwood situation and the decision to clear him a starter on Saturday at Caulfield.

Rage sparked on the weekend after the heavily supported Fleetwood missed the kick by five and a half lengths with the outrage stemming from the head-on vision which showed an attendant trying to settle the horse at the same time the gates opened.

Many punters believed the actions form the attendant impeded Fleetwood’s start and was the reason it missed the kick.

The James Cummings-trained galloper flew home along the inside going to finish a gallant third behind the winner Whistlefield.

And because he finished in the top four, Fleetwood was deemed a fair starter and therefore no refunds were granted to the punters.

Speaking to SENTrack, Montgomery sought to provide some facts around the situation.

“If the horse runs in the first four that horse can’t be deemed as having been denied a fair start and is a runner in the field,” Montgomery said.

“If it doesn’t run in the first four and is encumbered by something of an outside influence and doesn’t get a clean start then it’s not deemed to be starter but if it runs in the placings, it’s play on.”

Furthermore, Montgomery revealed that Fleetwood’s rider Damian Lane conceded that it was the horse’s fault that they missed the kick.

“Prior to correct weight being declared we asked Damian Lane to come in and have a look at the film and Damian Lane said it well himself that it was the horse’s fault,” he added.

“He goes just prior to the start when the horse was affected, the horse has attempted to put his head down and duck under.

“The attendant that’s up with the horse, his reaction was to try and stop the horse from getting under the gates and it’s also to try and help the jockey in Damian Lane because it turns into a safety issue where if the horse goes too far down it could affect Damian Lane and pull him over the front.

“You have to bear in mind that you’re talking about an animal that’s agitated and weighs half a ton.

“The barrier attendant has hold of the horse, the horse tries to burrow down, it’s a very difficult situation for the attendant and for the jockey and it happens in a split second.

“You can slow down the field and you can watch it 1000 times in slow motion, and it looks different then what is actually happening in a split second.”

LISTEN TO THE FULL CHAT WITH ROB MONTGOMERY 👇