THE agony of horse racing was starkly illustrated at Doncaster on Saturday.
The 25-1 shot Thunder Roar, trained in Norton by Tony Coyle and Kaine Wood, passed the post in first place in the £38,000 Doncaster Spring Mile only to be relegated to second place minutes later following a stewards' inquiry.
It must have been a close call for the officials because Thunder Roar and the eventual winner, the 50-1 shot Pearl Eye, went for the same gap.
The Norton horse, who was ridden by Tom Eaves, managed to get there first and then having gained a slight advantage held on was able to hold on by a short head from his staying on rival.
What the stewards had to decide was whether the manoeuvre cost Pearl Eye the race. Most pundits thought it did not, but the stewards thought otherwise and their opinion will be tested in a few days time because the connections of the Thunder Roar are all set to appeal the decision.
Ironically, Thunder Roar had been an unlucky second in the same race in 2024, on that occasion being hampered when the narrow winner Look Back Smiling hung into him in the closing stages.
Saturday's race was certainly an exciting one with six horses having a chance coming into the final furlong but in the closing stages it developed into a two-way duel with the Norton horse just holding on.
Formerly trained by Kevin Ryan, Thunder Roar was bought for £16,000 in May 2023 and has won four races for his new connections as well as several unlucky placed efforts.
His form had shown that he has a preference for soft ground and after passing the post first on Saturday, Coyle admitted: "We thought this morning that we probably wouldn't run him because he wants soft or even heavy ground.
"I finally took the decision to let him take his chance, and I told Tom to drop him right out and ride him to run well. If he didn't run well then he would have been dropped a few pounds in the ratings.
"It's a shame that the stewards disqualified him, it's the second year in a row he has been second in this race, he was unlucky last year as well!"
Although the main target for Thunder Roar is a valuable handicap at Royal Ascot in June he will need it to be a wet summer if he is to have his favoured soft ground there.
Sunday at Doncaster was a more satisfactory day for local yards as they bagged two winners, both ridden by local girls who learnt their craft as youngsters in the Middleton Pony Club.
The first to strike was Lois Teal, who partnered Hartswood to win the William Hill NRNB On the Grand National Amateur riders Handicap.
Sent off at 13-2 having won at Newcastle on his previous start, Lois produced with a strong late run to get him up inside the last furlong to beat the Seb Spencer-trained Mr Jetman by two lengths.
It was Lois's second winner on the Flat, although she has several point-to-point winners to her credit, and she was completing an excellent weekend for the Teal family.
Her brother Jack runs a successful point-to-point yard in Norton and had a winner at Tranwell in Northumberland on Saturday and had another at Askham Bryan point on Sunday, that winner being ridden by Eleanor Clark, who is currently a member of the Middleton Pony Club.
The second Ryedale runner to strike at Doncaster on Sunday was the 25-1 shot Stanage, trained by Mick and David Easterby and ridden by Joanna Mason, who three days earlier had ridden the 100-1 shot Devilwala to win at Wolverhampton.
Standwala contested the first division of the seven-furlong William Hill Proper Prices Handicap and, having been last at halfway, he scythed his way through the field to get up inside to final furlong to beat the 33-1 shot Warm Spell by half a length.
The winner was having his second race for the Easterby team having been bought for 28,000gns out of John and Thady Gosden's Newmarket yard last October.
"That was a bit of a surprise," said David afterwards. "He has had a few problems and full marks to Joanna who has done a lot of work with him at home."
The jumps meeting at Newcastle on Monday proved a much happier hunting ground local yards, notably for Norton's Ruth Jefferson.
She landed a memorable 1-2 in the Sunday Lunch at the Border Minstrel Novice Handicap Chase with the 7-1 shot Mobile Mamma, ridden by Jamie Hamilton, making a successful chase debut by beating her 18-1 stable companion Giveupyerauldsins by three lengths.
The winner was the first leg of a double for Hamilton, who landed the Golf Memberships at High Gosforth Park Handicap Chase on the Mark Walford-trained Empty Nest, the seven-year-old getting up in the final strides to beat the 16-1 shot Goodtimes Badtimes by a head.
This is a big week for the winning trainer because he sends out his first runner in a Grade 1 contest when Haydock winner Battle Born Lad contests the Oddschecker Sefton Novice Hurdle at Aintree on Friday.
Hamilton, who has ridden him to win both his races over hurdles so far, will once again be in the saddle and for him it will be a second ride in a Grade 1 contest.
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