A DRAMATIC photo finish at Bangor raised eyebrows – as punters joked they needed a microscope to separate first and second.
But despite there being seemingly nothing between them, a winner was called in the 1.53pm contest on Tuesday.
It took some time for the judges to work out, however, as Sean Quinlan and Callum Bewley fought it out to the death in the 2m4½f contest.
Quinlan looked home and dry on 100-30 shot Stop Talking as the finish line approached, having taken the lead approachng the final jump.
Bewley on 5-2 chance Kalaharry appeared to have run his race before digging deep to mount a last-gasp challenge.
And, to the naked eye, it looked like a dead heat could easily have been called as the pair battled it out past the post.
Some punters thought likewise too, with armchair stewards at home posting images of their own photo finishes online.
Fortunately, those at the track had the benefit of high-tech cameras which managed to show a winner, albeit by the smallest of margins.
And even then it looked a mighty close call – the official distance of victory being just a nose.
Fortunately for Jennie Candlish, her runner Stop Talking managed to just hold on, scooping the £3,594 first-place prize.
But in response to a snap of the finish, one punter said: “Eh… microscope required.”
Another posted: “Flared nostril the winning distance?”
A fellow Twitter user wrote: “I’m still trying to get my head around Kalaharry not getting the photo finish there.”
While one comment read: “I thought Kalaharry had won and was 100 per cent certain he had got back up to beat Stop Talking, so I was a bit open mouthed when the result came through.”
Fortunately a high-res image of the finish was posted online and conclusively showed who had won – but only just.
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https://www.sportingexcitement.com/horse-racing/americas-champion-jockey-irad-ortiz-once-fined-for-punching-a-rival-set-to-make-royal-ascot-debut-next-month
