Five became two — but they could not be separated.
A thrilling finish in the second race, a maiden over 1400m, at the Otago Racing Club meeting at Cromwell yesterday had judges reaching for the most powerful microscopes before two dead-heats were declared.
No fewer than five horses crossed the line at what, to the naked eye, seemed to be the same time.
Eventually, it was determined Lennon, trained by Michael and Mathew Pitman with amateur jockey Kavish Chowdhoory at the reins, and Stop Yelling, with trainer Racha Cuneen on board and having led almost the entire race, could not be separated for first.
Just behind that pair, Master Marko and Neon Moon were determined to have finished in a dead-heat for third, while Dushku was fifth.
In the feature race, Chowdhoory guided Wannabe ‘N’ Paris to victory with a sizzling ride in the Cromwell Cup over 2030m.
Topweight Camino Rocoso had set the pace in the nine-horse field but Wannabe ‘N’ Paris came charging home on the inside to send Rangiora trainer Paul Harris into delirious celebrations in the birdcage.
The Kelvin and Aimee Tyler-trained He’s Got Power backed up his excellent win in the feature race at Wingatui on Melbourne Cup day with victory over 1400m.
The Tylers also had a win with Tyler Eight over 1220m. The 4yr-old gelding had not raced since winning a maiden in February.
- Hayden Meikle
