NYRA Stewards Explain Controversial NYSS Decision

The NYRA stewards decision to disqualify Brick Ambush  from second to last following the Dec. 16 $500,000 Great White Way Division of the New York Stallion Series at Aqueduct Racetrack raised a furor on racing social media over the weekend.

During the race, the winner, Antonio of Venice , who had been against the fence coming into the far turn, moved off the rail under jockey Manuel Franco and appeared to instigate bumping between The Big Torpedo  into Solo's Fury . While the latter two were checked, Antonio of Venice angled further wide down the stretch and eventually collared Brick Ambush for the victory.

#1 ANTONIO OF VENICE ($14.00) swings to the outside and gets up to win the New York Stallion Series Stakes at Aqueduct. The son of Laoban was ridden by Manual Franco and is trained by Rudy Rodriguez. Congrats to all the connections! #12 Brick Ambush was moved from 2nd to last. pic.twitter.com/xITnj1oBax

— TVG (@TVG) December 16, 2023

Brick Ambush, ridden by Junior Alvarado, was four-wide around the turn, to the outside of Solo's Fury. The stewards inquiry sign immediately flashed following the race and after ten minutes of deliberation, Brick Ambush was taken down. Antonio of Venice's stablemate, Heavyweight Champs , also trained by Rudy Rodriguez, was moved up into second while The Big Torpedo, fourth across the line, was placed third.

The stewards felt that it was Brick Ambush, however, and not Antonio of Venice, who had altered paths at the quarter pole and caused the interference.

Posted on the NYRA website's "Stewards Decisions" page under the Dec. 16 NYSS Stakes, the stewards wrote: "At the 1/4 pole #12 Brick Ambush (Junior Alvarado) came in, causing a chain reaction. The #11 Solo’s Fury (Jose Lezcano) pushes down into the #7 The Big Torpedo (Javier Castellano). After reviewing the video and speaking with the riders, the stewards disqualified the #12 Brick Ambush for interference and place him behind the #11 Solo’s Fury."

Franco agreed with the stewards.

“I held my spot inside (at the top of the lane) and the pressure was coming from outside," Franco said in the post-race interview. He added that he felt he hadn't interfered with The Big Torpedo. "Javier (Castellano) wasn't there yet, he was trying to get there."

Hundreds of comments from an angry and confused public spewed online in the race's aftermath. Amongst the frenzy, Dean Reeves, the owner of Brick Ambush, declared he was appealing the stewards' controversial decision.

The owner told the Thoroughbred Daily News that he and trainer Danny Gargan were going to appeal because they were "not really sure what happened. We were never involved in the conversation. ... I feel like I got robbed, like I got mugged. We have to appeal this. I want to see how they came to their conclusion that we had anything to do with it. I watched the slow motion and had it stop and start. I have some questions for them.”

With his disqualification from second place to last, Brick Ambush lost the $100,000 share of the $500,000 purse that was allocated to second.