Santa Anita Stewards and the Starting Gate

[BitPlayer]

The unanimous DQ of War of Will from 5th in yesterday\'s Shoemaker Mile marks two weekends in a row that the Santa Anita stewards have DQ\'d a horse for interference at the start.  (Yesterday\'s DQ was particularly odd because the horse inside War of Will (Voodoo Song) was already going left before War of Will made contact.)  So far it has involved only minor placings, but DQ\'s that affect the winner or the exacta have to be coming.  Maybe it\'s a safety thing?  In general, I would prefer that the stewards be less, not more, involved in determining outcomes and that, whatever they do, they do it more quickly.

[moosepalm]

BitPlayer Wrote:
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> The unanimous DQ of War of Will from 5th in
> yesterday\'s Shoemaker Mile marks two weekends in a
> row that the Santa Anita stewards have DQ\'d a
> horse for interference at the start.  (Yesterday\'s
> DQ was particularly odd because the horse inside
> War of Will (Voodoo Song) was already going left
> before War of Will made contact.)  So far it has
> involved only minor placings, but DQ\'s that affect
> the winner or the exacta have to be coming.  Maybe
> it\'s a safety thing?  In general, I would prefer
> that the stewards be less, not more, involved in
> determining outcomes and that, whatever they do,
> they do it more quickly.
It is a safety thing.  The horse violated social distancing protocols.