Racing: It's Wahid by a nose in Classic

Winning trainer Allan Sharrock threw down his racebook in disgust just after the finish of the $200,000 Levin Classic at Otaki yesterday.

Sharrock thought his horse Wahid had been pipped at the post in the group one race for three-year-olds, blaming the tactics of rider Hayden Tinsley. But he soon found out his horse had won by a nose.

Wahid, the $3.65 favourite, had drawn an outside barrier and it was planned to ride the horse from the back of the field.

But Tinsley said Wahid raced too keenly and he let the Almutawakel gelding stride wide around the field.

With 800m to run in the 1600m event he was three-wide outside co-leaders Chettak and Tatlock.

Wahid was already in front at the top of the straight and neither rider nor trainer thought he could hold on for the remaining 400m.

"I was just spewing, I was filthy and Hayden knows I'm going to kill him when he gets back," Sharrock said.

"If he had run second it would have been one of the most disappointing moments in my life. I threw the book away and all.

"I said, 'I'm gone again'. The book's in the rubbish bin at the line."

Influencing Sharrock's thoughts that Wahid had been beaten was the gesture of Noel Harris, rider of runner-up Shikoba.

Convinced he had won, Harris gave a victory salute with the whip just past the winning post.

He still could not believe the result 10 minutes later.

"The game's crooked," Harris joked.

"I don't normally get that carried away at the finish of race. I thought I had half a neck on him. I said on the line, 'I've got him'."

Harris believed a bob of the head denied Shikoba victory.

He said he might have been fooled by the way Shikoba was coming with a withering run after being held up momentarily at the top of the straight.

He was gathering on Wahid with every stride but the photo finish revealed the filly had been beaten by a just a nose.

In the spotlight of victory, Sharrock was able to find some good words for Tinsley and praised the horse.

"To defend Hayden, there was no pace in the race. He's gone forward but has never got in," Sharrock said.

"To the horse's credit, he has staved them all off. It was a huge performance."

Tinsley said he cringed when he saw Harris waving the whip alongside him past the post.

"At the line I didn't know and just left it at that," Tinsley said.

"Then I see Noel flourishing the whip. I'm thinking he's got it and all I could think of was I want to go home - see you later."

Tinsley said Wahid raced keenly from the outset.

"I didn't want to roll forward but I thought if I hold on much more I'm going to beat myself."

- NZPA