Always-Close Snurge Finally Wins, With Help

Snurge, loser of three photo-finishes in a row, lost another on Sunday but won anyway when first-place finisher Wiorno was disqualified in the $1-million Rothmans International at Woodbine.

Snurge and Ghazi were dueling down the stretch when Wiorno tried to move up on the inside. Replays showed Wiorno bumped Ghazi from behind and Ghazi, off balance, bumped Wiorno, who then gave a heavy bump back to Ghazi deep in the stretch. Ghazi, seemingly confused, lost speed and Wiorno had a clear passage, edging Snurge at the finish line. Ghazi finished third.

Snurge, who had lost by a head, a head and a neck in his three previous races, was awarded the victory when the stewards disqualified Wiorno and placed him behind Ghazi.

“It’s unfortunate, but as I say, it’s happened to us before,” said Snurge’s owner, Martyn Arbib. Snurge, a 5-year-old, was disqualified from a victory as a 2-year-old.

Snurge, an English-based Irish-bred, scored his first victory of the year. The winner’s check of $636,000 puts Snurge over $2 million and makes him Europe’s richest thoroughbred.

The conditions for the 1 1/2-mile race on a cold, wet day were perfect for European horses and Wiorno was timed in 2:39 over a soft turf course.

Snurge paid $12, $6.10 and $4.60. Ghazi paid $28.10 and $17.80 and Wiorno paid $8.70.

The only other time an International winner was disqualified was in 1969, when Tradesman was taken down.

In two other races at Woodbine on Sunday, King Corrie, owned by A.W. Minshall, won the $100,000-added Highlander Stakes and Hatoof, owned by Sheik Matktoum al Matktoum of Dubai, won the $300,000-added E.P. Taylor Stakes.