Withdrawal sparks controversy

MUMBAI: Ameeta Mehra, the breeder of the Mathaiyus, has claimed that the gelding was withdrawn from the Indian Derby on Sunday on false ground that he was lame.
Mathaiyus, considered one of the best stayers among the 14 contenders, was declared withdrawn before the race.When she asked for reasons, she was told by the stewards that according to senior vet Dr SK Kulkarni, the gelding was lame.Ameeta later went to the stables of Mathaiyus' trainer Pesi Shroff to see the condition of the horse. To her and Shroff 's surprise, Mathaiyus was trotting sound and he wasn't lame.
“A horse, his owner and breeder get a chance to win the Indian Derby just once in a lifetime and to deny them this opportunity on such false ground is extremely unfortunate,“ an upset Ameeta, one of the leading breeders in the country , told TOI on Sunday .
Gulamhusein Vahanvaty, the chairman of stewards, RWITC, contradicted Ameeta's claim. “While being loaded in the starting stalls, Mathaiyus put his hind leg on the rest where jockeys put their foot to stand in the stall. The gelding was brought out of the stalls and when he was again taken back in the stalls he did the same again. This time his hind leg was stuck at the rest and the vet, starter and others had to struggle to bring his foot out.Later they trotted him and as a matter of caution, they decided to withdraw him,“ Vahanvaty said.
It seems a clear case of lack of coordination between the officials at the starting stall and administration. What is even more surprising is that even the trainer was not consulted before taking such an important decision which deprived a horse a chance of a lifetime to contest in the most important race of his career.