By MICHAEL GUERIN
Holmes D G had to go to hell and back to win last week's Miracle Mile and it is not over yet.
In a staggering move the owners of runner-up Atitagain have lodged an official complaint over the photo-finish decision.
The Harold Park judge spent four minutes studying several different prints of the photo before declaring Holmes D G winner of the $A400,000 sprint by a nose.
At first glance it is virtually impossible to find any margin between the two pacers although detailed examination suggests Holmes D G in front by a whisker.
But Reg Turner, the manager of the Dominator Syndicate which owns Atitagain, says that is not good enough.
He has lodged an official complaint and New South Wales stewards will now open an inquiry.
"He's not convinced the right decision has been made. It's within his rights to lodge a protest up to seven days after the race," said NSW chief steward Roger Nebauer yesterday.
A formal protest hearing will be held before the first race at Harold Park next Friday.
The protest is surely the final mountain Holmes D G has to climb before being awarded his second successive Miracle Mile crown.
The South Auckland pacer was only invited to the race after the connections of three other horses declined invitations.
Poor weather then forced him to miss a crucial ferry crossing north that meant he endured a horror 36 hours of travel to get from the South Island to Sydney.
Once in Sydney he was stabled with Dennis Wilson, the trainer of Atitagain and a friend of Holmes D G's trainer Barry Purdon.
Meanwhile, former Kiwi champ Courage Under Fire, who did not perform in the Miracle Mile, is getting ready for the Treuer Memorial at Bankstown, Sydney, tonight.
Atitagain is the clear-cut favourite at 4-7. Courage Under Fire rated a 7-1 Treuer chance but he was a marginal firmer into 13-2.
Racing: Miracle win photo stirs up a protest
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