Trainer John Mullins is ticking over the response to his opting to run Swift Iconic in the semi finals of the Click Competition East Anglian Derby.
The Oxfordshire Gold Cup winner moved across the track – and leaned into Knockduff Eske – when disputing the lead on the run-in in Saturday’s heats and was marked ‘awkward’ by the stewards. The dog had no previous history of anything similar.
He said: “I gather that there has been plenty said about Iconic on RPGTV and social media. If people have an issue, they should come to me about it. Everyone is entitled to an opinion. As far as I am concerned, when you are get dogs out in a morning, you have a right to be listened to.
“The dog didn’t fight and he will be running on Saturday. If connections of any of the other dogs have an issue, they can withdraw their dogs. There is no issue with the dog’s owner. If there was, and they asked for him to be withdrawn, I would agree, but tell them to take the dog away the same day.”
This isn’t the first time that this sort of thing has happened at Yarmouth. Back in 2011 the ‘known villain’ Taylors Cruise fought just after the line in the East Anglian Derby semis, and again after the line in the final. The Scottish Derby winner was eventually DQd at Monmore when he transgressed during the race.
John added: “There is an awful lot of chat from these people who have never put a lead on a dog. Yet by chance I saw a race on RPGTV a couple of weeks ago when only half the track was plated and nothing was said by the presenters or people watching the programme. Now that should have been discussed.”
