Gino Owners Lodge Objection to Arc Result

Longchamp racing officials, stung by criticism over the false start which led to Sunday's Prix de l'Abbaye being declared void and re-run at the end of the card, face further controversy over the result of the big race itself.

The connections of the German-trained It's Gino, who was adjudged to have dead-heated for third place with Soldier Of Fortune behind Zarkava, have lodged an appeal. The official print of the Arc finish is posted on the website of It's Gino's trainer, Pavel Vovcenko, who feels the print shows his horse finishing clear third on its own.

Though trained at Bremen in Germany, It's Gino is owned by five Australians, under the name Stall 5-Stars. They had hoped to run It's Gino in the Japan Cup next month, but he picked up an injury in the Arc.

Cheltenham yesterday announced changes to the running order of races at next March's Festival, when in a break from tradition the County Hurdle will no longer be the final race. Friday's finale will instead be the Grand Annual Chase.

"We are [still] ending the Festival with two ultra-competitive handicaps, so the battle between punters and bookies will still be alive until 5.15pm on the last day," said Edward Gillespie, Cheltenham's managing director.

With a 1.30pm start, the feature race each day will now be fourth on the card. "It was apparent from the experience of last season that a greater period of build-up to the biggest races was almost universally popular," added Gillespie, with reference to the 10 and nine-race cards staged on the final two days last year when Wednesday was lost to high winds.

Ron Cox's tip of the day

Thai Vango 5.00 Towcester

Fitness is rarely an issue with Nigel Twiston-Davies' runners, and with the trainer in fine form Thai Vango can overcome a lengthy absence. A former Irish point-to-point winner, Thai Vango won first time out in a bumper for Twiston-Davies two seasons ago and, although unable to add to that success in three runs over hurdles, the seven-year-old resumes on a fair handicap mark.