Turf Club reject Falbrav appeal

Racing: High Chaparral held on to his controversial Irish Champion Stakes success at yesterday's Turf Club hearing and is reported on track for a repeat at Saturday's Breeders' Cup Turf in Santa Anita.

High Chaparral won the Group One prize by a neck from Falbrav, with Islington a head away in third.

The Turf Club Appeals and Referrals hearing lasted over three hours at the Curragh and ended with no joy for the connections of Falbrav, who were not even present for the final decision.

At 6.10 yesterday evening, trainer Luca Cumani and jockey Darryll Holland left the Curragh before the result of the committee's deliberations was handed down.

Asked whether Falbrav would run in the Breeders' Cup Classic on dirt, or face High Chaparral again in the Turf, Cumani said: "I can't say anything about anything because I don't know the result. We have to leave now or we will miss our plane."

The outcome would have held no joy for either man, but there was a sense of relief among the High Chaparral camp.

Jockey Michael Kinane said: "I was feeling nervous. You always do until they rubber-stamp things. I didn't feel the horse deserved to lose it on the day and the stewards today have confirmed that.

"They felt that in the last 75 metres we got close but they felt it wasn't enough to change the result."

Aidan O'Brien said: "It's over and there is not much more to say. We will look forward to America with the horse now and he is in good form."

The principals will meet next in Los Angeles in the run-up to the Breeders' Cup, where O'Brien will run five horses and Cumani relies on Falbrav.

The question as to which race the English colt, labelled "the best horse in world" by Cumani, will run in is still unclear, and O'Brien won't decide until today about whether Kinane will ride Hold That Tiger in the Classic.

What he does know is that High Chaparral will run in Santa Anita as a Group One-winning four-year-old after yesterday's appeals decision.

The appeal began after 3.0 p.m. and was also attended by Kieren Fallon, who rode Islington into third place in the Leopardstown race, and John Murtagh, who was fourth on Alamshar.

Frankie Dettori, who rode Moon Ballad in fifth, was in Canada over the weekend and submitted written evidence.

Fallon was called by the Turf Club, having not given evidence at the original enquiry. Both he and Murtagh left quickly, having given their evidence.

The Falbrav team were represented by Graeme McPherson, QC, while Donal O'Donnell, SC, represented the connections of High Chaparral.

Brian Price was the Turf Club's legal representative.

The three-man appeals board was made up of Frank Clarke, Frank Hardy and Michael Osborne, and it was just before 6.0 p.m. when the main players emerged before returning again for the final decision.

"There was interference, but they felt it wasn't sufficient to warrant a change," said Price.

It puts an end to an episode that began in early September as High Chaparral just beat Falbrav in the a1 million World Series race with the runner-up widely held to be unlucky.

Holland argued that he would have won without the interference that he met through the race, but there was also widespread belief that High Chaparral was idling in front.

Last evening, Kinane said: "My horse always finds more. Hawk Wing and others have drawn up to him in the past but found out he is not easily passed."

High Chaparral is a general 5 to 1 shot to repeat his success in last year's Breeders' Cup Turf, where he is due to clash with the Godolphin star Sulamani and, possibly, Falbrav.

However, the Cumani horse has a double entry in the a4 million Classic on dirt. Falbrav has never raced on dirt before, but this year's Classic may not be as strong as previous years with several of the top America middle-distance stars, Mineshaft, Empire Maker and Pacific Ride, all absent.

O'Brien has Hold That Tiger in the Classic, but a final decision on whether or not Edgar Prado retains the ride on the colt has yet to be taken.