Jockey's protests fail in bizarre Oaks Day drama

Jockey Jye McNeil launched protests against the winner and runner-up in race seven of Crown Oaks Day but his appeals fell flat.

McNeil, who was riding Akaysha in a group three race for three-year-old fillies, alleged that both Point Barrow and Inkaruna impeded his horse in the final 150 metres of the 1100-metre race.

Racing Victoria stewards ruled that Point Barrow, ridden by Daniel Stackhouse, and Inkaruna, ridden by Mark Zahra, did interfere with Akaysha as the horse tried to slip between the two, but the interference wasn't significant enough to warrant a penalty.

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Therefore, Point Barrow remained the winner, Inkaruna second, Miss Freelove third and Akaysha fourth.

Akaysha was in third place at the time of the incident, before dropping to fourth and finishing 2.75 lengths behind the winner.

"There was certainly a run there," said racing expert David Gately, assessing the footage on Nine as stewards worked through the protests.

"Akaysha went for the run in between the two girls, Inkaruna certainly came out, Point Barrow looked to drift in a fraction, but nothing significant to my eye … It cost her [Akaysha] probably two lengths.

"Picked up, didn't savage the line.

"I think that's going to be the problem to uphold the case; you really have to get closer, I think, than a couple of lengths and really be finishing off [well] to make the umpires and stewards happy that she would have won the race."

Fellow racing expert Francesca Cumani was bemused that McNeil was protesting.

"I'm not really sure what the case is here," Cumani said on Nine.

"I mean, horses don't run in lanes. One drifted in and the other came in as well, and yes, there was a horse behind them, but to me the winning distance is enough to suggest — can you imagine first and second being thrown out and third winning the race?

"To me, the best horse won, and it didn't massively inconvenience the horse objecting."

A total of $300,000 in prize money was on offer in the Crown Red Roses Stakes, with Point Barrow claiming $180,000, Inkaruna $54,000 and Miss Freelove $27,000.

McNeil and Akaysha picked up $13,500 for finishing fourth.