By MIKE DILLON
If you think Jim Gibbs is now happy that he didn't pay up for the $1 million juvenile triple bonus, try chief stipendiary steward Noel McCutcheon.
And add to that pair, the Manawatu Stipendiary Control pairing of Neville Harris and Barry Holland, who took the $120,000 Ford Manawatu Sires off Vinaka on Saturday.
Extraneous factors such as incentive bonuses have no place in a raceday inquiry room, but helping deny Gibbs the chance of a $1 million payout by relegating Vinaka would have weighed heavily on McCutcheon, Harris and Holland.
Gibbs has copped losing his first group-one win with Vinaka in good spirit, but admitted it would have hurt a lot more if the $1 million had been riding on the Ford Ellerslie Sires Produce Stakes at Ellerslie on Saturday week.
"It would have been a huge call [to relegate] with the publicity of someone trying to win the million for the first time," said Gibbs yesterday.
The result could have gone either way.
Vinaka's move across the path of San Luis, who was making a stayer's dab at him in the final 230m, was sustained and made Noel Harris on San Luis change ground back inside, checking his momentum.
There was always a suggestion Vinaka was travelling slightly the better of the two, but the problem facing the judicial panel was deciding how much had been taken out of San Luis' finishing drive by having his line dictated for a prolonged period.
"Yes, it would have been a close call, it would not have been an easy one for the committee," said McCutcheon, who laid the charge against Vinaka.
The written judgement was not available on raceday, but McCutcheon said he felt the telling factor for the committee was how far Vinaka moved off his line.
He estimated that Vinaka carried San Luis out seven horse-widths before Noel Harris switched and made his run inside.
Even if San Luis was not taking ground off Vinaka in the closing stages, he might have lost acceleration.
Noel Harris made a theatrical gesture when he came back on San Luis by saluting the judge, clearly indicating that he thought he would get the race in the inquiry room.
"I thought that put a bit of undue pressure on the judicial committee," said Gibbs.
He was not complaining about the decision, but wished that in the inquiry he had made the point about Vinaka's record against San Luis.
When they first met at Matamata on February 24, Vinaka won with 1/4 lengths to San Luis. In the Wakefield Stakes at Trentham, on March 10, Vinaka won with San Luis 3 3/4 lengths back in fourth after an interrupted run.
Vinaka's rider, Leith Innes, was suspended for the incident and, having already received a suspension on Saturday, will not be back in time for the Ellerslie Sires Produce.
"I'm surprised I haven't had a call from a jockey yet," said Gibbs late morning yesterday, "but the good thing is I haven't had a call from a buyer either."
He has been under a lot of pressure to sell Vinaka for big money to Hong Kong and admitted that every horse had its price.
Vinaka probably could not win in New Zealand the kind of money the buyers were talking about.
Gibbs joked that Saturday's judicial panel probably cost him half a million dollars without the triple bonus being a factor.
"I've got 11 horses on my property related to Vinaka so losing a group one was pretty important.
"I should have told the judicial committee that and maybe they would have taken pity on me."
Racing: Tough call could have been worse
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