Stewards set a date for Farnan inquiry

hugh bowman has his eye in ahead of hk
Wed 16th September 2020

Jockey Hugh Bowman and co-trainer Adrian Bott have been asked to attend Racing NSW headquarters for the resumption of a stewards’ inquiry into the first-up flop of Farnan.

Led by chief stipe Marc Van Gestel, stewards grilled Bowman and Bott during a race day inquiry into Farnan’s unplaced performance in Saturday’s The Run To The Rose.

The Golden Slipper winner started a drifting favourite and after being sooled to the lead shortly after the start he over-raced and compounded in the straight, finishing fifth.

Bowman was questioned over why he persisted in taking Farnan to the front, rather than camp outside eventual winner Rothfire.

The top jockey said once he made the decision to lead, Farnan would not come back underneath him and went too hard.

“I was trying to judge it the best I could. It is not like driving a car and putting the breaks on if you go too fast. It’s not that simple,” Bowman told stewards at Rosehill.

“I understand you have sectional times and obviously horses can’t sustain the pace he was going and that’s why he finished the way he did.”

The inquiry will resume at 2pm on Thursday.