• Shock as wayward Circus Maximus keeps Prix du Moulin• Ken Condon, trainer of narrow runner-up Romanised, to appeal
Circus Maximus was sensationally allowed to keep the Prix du Moulin on Sunday, despite having given a significant shove to the runner-up, Romanised, in the closing stages. The Longchamp stewards’ failure to act was a surprise to many onlookers, as the head-on showed the winner had hung across the track by about eight horse-widths, carrying Romanised with him and making contact in the final strides.
As a photo-finish was required to separate the two and Circus Maximus had barely an inch in hand when he hit the line, it seemed a straightforward decision to reverse the places. But just a few minutes after the inquiry began, it was confirmed the result would stand.