What was the worst DQ that you remember?

[Softshoesureshot]

Nothing inspires more lively debate at a racetrack than an inquiry in progress. Since I enjoy a good argument anywhere, especially the track, the times when an inquiry is in progress at the races has often been memorable.

For me, memories of poor or questionable DQ's center around Southern California.

I remember the Wicked North DQ, which upset a lot of people out here, and also the John Henry/Perrault controversy.

But to me, the all time worst call was a DQ that I actually benefited from.....Alphabet Soup was disqualified in a race at Santa Anita for interference into the first turn. The interference was slight, but the stewards ruled that Alphabet Soup was responsible and they gave the victory to Savinio, a horse trained by Greenman.

I had a big win bet on Savinio that day, and a one way exacta over 'Soup. I tossed my tickets after the race, and when they announced that there was an inquiry, I knew I was in trouble. I was with my wife that day, which is rare indeed for me at the track, and both of us had to search frantically while the inquiry was in progress. I was sure there was going to be no change, but I redoubled my efforts after Trevor announced that there would be a change.

After 25 minutes of looking on this windy day, my wife and I were ready to give up. She sighed and said, "One last time.." and wandered through the infield at Santa Anita. She ran back to me a moment later with our tickets, both folded up and stomped over by a few unknowing souls. The take was big that day, and I won't ever forget it.

What was the most questionable DQ you recall, and were you the victim or the beneficiary of that call?

[Premier Turf Club]

Girl of The North getting DQ'd from a race at SAR, I think it was 1988 because I had just started dating my future wife. I believe Sultry Sun won the race in question, with GOTN 2nd and I had (for me at the time a big) $40 exacta that I think was like $20 for a buck. Would have paid for our entire SAR weekend.

Storming Home getting DQ'd from the ARL Million years later cost me more than $10,000 as I had huge PK3's and PK4's singling him to Kickin Kris who won the Secretariat(?) and paid like $22.

I remember cashing for a couple of grand on a put-up at CRC a few years ago, and Asmussen horse in a grass stake but obviously we're much more likely to remember the ones that cost us rather than the ones where we made money.

[njcurveball]

The worst was probably in the Freehold Handicapping Contest in November of last year when I had the Alan Garcia horse to win in the feature at Aqueduct The horse was going to pay 20-1 or more. And a win there would move me into the top 5 with plenty of time left to catch the leaders. However, after watching the horse win and draw away, the inquiry sign lit up.

Watching the replay there was NO WAY this horse bumped or impeded another horse. A few others had it and we all thought we were safe until one sharp eyed gentlemen said "he hit the other horse with the whip"!

The objection came up and after 10 minutes of nothing, one of the guys who had the horse yelled to the whole room, "Today is my birthday! NO WAY that horse is coming down!".

As anyone can imagine, within 10 seconds the numbers vanished and the announcement was made.


Most embarassing was when I gave my Aunt a ticket on a horse named Case Back at ACRC. I will guess the odds somewhere around 7-2 for the horse and after leaving from the outside post, he wires the field.

I walk over to my Aunt with quite a swagger, and then the inquiry sign comes up. WITH NO OBJECTION, they DQ the horse and place him out of the money.
Head ons didn't show enough for me to think he did anything wrong enough to negate an easy wire to wire win. :mad:

[Dan Montilion]

Saratoga 1986... ALLUMEUSE!!!

[tholl]

June 2nd Churchill--Quasicobra. Ridiculously bad decision.

[bigmack]

'04 Arlington Million. DQ'd Powerscourt. Cost me a bundle and caused a dent in the side of a rental car. Rental car was fixed, I remain jaded.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q_bxqt0Rwps

[Softshoesureshot]

Big Mack:

I remember that one was a lousy call.

PremierTurfClub.com: Jesus, those are some tough ones to get over.....sheesh.

[Premier Turf Club]

Big Mack:

I remember that one was a lousy call.

PremierTurfClub.com: Jesus, those are some tough ones to get over.....sheesh.

Dan wins.

For those who don't know the story, the stewards disqualified Allimueuse at Saratoga and then admitted later on they had gotten the # of the wrong horse. After the final race at Saratoga that day, the stewards issued the following statement:

“The stewards erred in disqualifying the No. 8 horse, Allumeuse, in today’s second race. Following the finish of the race on the main turf course in which two horses unseated their riders near the one-eighth pole, we reviewed a video replay and inadvertently disqualified Allumeuse instead of the No. 11 horse, Syntonic, who did interfere with No. 3, Fasta Dancer. We have corrected the purse distribution accordingly.

“We regret that, because of our concern for the condition of jockey Robbie Davis, who was injured in the incident, we did not discover our error until after the race was declared official and betting payoffs began. Under State Racing and Wagering Board Rule 4008.1, the betting payoff cannot be changed after the ‘Official’ sign has been posted.”

The Associated Press further reported that Jerry Bailey, the rider of Fasta Dancer, said in a post-race interview that he had advised the stewards by telephone that it had been Syntonic, not Allumeuse, who had been at fault.

[rrpic6]

Hard to top the Allameuse story. Wish I had some graphics to demonstrate this DQ. I'll try like this #11...#8......#5...coming down the stretch in the last race at Santa Anita about ten years ago. I need the 8 or 11 to hit 5 of 6 in the pick 6. 5 and 8 are neck and neck, the 11 rallies wide to pass them up. The 11 veers left into the 8 as he tries to go by. The jockey on the 8 loses his iron after being bumped and veers to his left into the 5. The 8 crosses the finish line 1st, next the 11 then the 5. The stewards DQ both the 8 and 11 for shutting off the 5, so I get 4 of 6.RR

[added money]

TIGHT SPOT in the Del Mar Derby. Never made contact with a horse to his inside coming out of the infield chute but was taken down for "herding." Went on to win the Arlington Million and the Eclipse Award. Oh yeah, and was put back up in the DMD on appeal a year later... geeezus :bang:

[Zman179]

No question, Allumeuse. A horse who became famous for something it didn't do.

[Robert Goren]

I 've DQed out of some good ones. I had $40 on 60 to 1 shot taken down once. But one that hurt the worse was a $2 ticket on a 9 to 5. He dead heated with another horse. A jockey claimed a foul on the other horse. They reviewed the film and decide the other didn't bother foul claimer, but my horse did and took it down making the other dead heat horse a solo winner. I was mad I didn't bet another race for a year. :mad:

[onefast99]

Hogans spirit bumped hyder 2 years ago hyder fell the stewards took Hogan down poor call as hyder initiated the contact. i think it was at belmont

[Zman179]

I 've DQed out of some good ones. I had $40 on 60 to 1 shot taken down once. But one that hurt the worse was a $2 ticket on a 9 to 5. He dead heated with another horse. A jockey claimed a foul on the other horse. They reviewed the film and decide the other didn't bother foul claimer, but my horse did and took it down making the other dead heat horse a solo winner. I was mad I didn't bet another race for a year. :mad:

Let me guess, this was at Laurel.
Many times there I've seen a jockey claim foul on a horse and the one who actually claimed foul was the one dq'd.

[dutchboy]

I think I also bet on Savino that day. Was this the race where the jockey of the horse "interferred with" kind of stood up to exagerate the problem? I kind of remember complaints that Trevor Denman's call of the interference may have influenced the stewards decision.


Nothing inspires more lively debate at a racetrack than an inquiry in progress. Since I enjoy a good argument anywhere, especially the track, the times when an inquiry is in progress at the races has often been memorable.

For me, memories of poor or questionable DQ's center around Southern California.

I remember the Wicked North DQ, which upset a lot of people out here, and also the John Henry/Perrault controversy.

But to me, the all time worst call was a DQ that I actually benefited from.....Alphabet Soup was disqualified in a race at Santa Anita for interference into the first turn. The interference was slight, but the stewards ruled that Alphabet Soup was responsible and they gave the victory to Savinio, a horse trained by Greenman.

I had a big win bet on Savinio that day, and a one way exacta over 'Soup. I tossed my tickets after the race, and when they announced that there was an inquiry, I knew I was in trouble. I was with my wife that day, which is rare indeed for me at the track, and both of us had to search frantically while the inquiry was in progress. I was sure there was going to be no change, but I redoubled my efforts after Trevor announced that there would be a change.

After 25 minutes of looking on this windy day, my wife and I were ready to give up. She sighed and said, "One last time.." and wandered through the infield at Santa Anita. She ran back to me a moment later with our tickets, both folded up and stomped over by a few unknowing souls. The take was big that day, and I won't ever forget it.

What was the most questionable DQ you recall, and were you the victim or the beneficiary of that call?

[RaceBookJoe]

If I remember correctly, Dr. Fager got taken down in a race and he was out front by a nice margin the whole race. Absolutely no interference.

[the little guy]

Yeah, Allemeuse obviously stands alone.

Here's another part of the story......when the replay finally came up there was a sudden " power outage " of all TVs at the track as the field headed down the backstretch.

This was before iso-replays of supposed fouls were shown after a disqualification.

[Tom Barrister]

If I remember correctly, Dr. Fager got taken down in a race and he was out front by a nice margin the whole race. Absolutely no interference.

The race was the Jersey Derby, then run at Garden State, and the feisty Dr. Fager crowded the other three horses going into the turn and also tried to bite In Reality while doing so. He won the race by six lengths, but was disqualified and placed last for interference. Some claimed that Dr. Fager's unruliness was the problem, while others insisted that aggressive jockey Carlos Ycaza (who'd earned three other suspensions in the past 60 days) was to blame. Either way, it was Dr. Fager's only time out of the money in his 22 career races (his record was 22--18-2-1). Only three horses ever finished in front of Dr. Fager: Successor (Juvenille champion in 1966), Damascus, and Buckpasser.

[NY BRED]

are you referring to the Pavo/Naughty New Yorker "foul" in
which Garcia, Caught between two horses, stood up in his
saddle, and by a strange twist of fate, caused his whip
to strike Naughty New Yorker's Nose,who was directly in back of him?

[Sherry]

The last leg of a pick 3 at EVG and I had two longshots that ran 1-2. I had the pool with either horse. When the inquiry sign came up I figured no big deal since I had both of them. They dq'd BOTH of my horses. I believe that was my first and last time playing that track. I've had many heart breaking dq's playing S.Cal tracks (including a 10K pick 4), but having both horses at EVG was the most memorable.