KEY POINTS:
It came as a major surprise to David Walsh to hear yesterday that the Seppelt inquiry at Te Rapa on Saturday may not be over.
Stewards opened an inquiry into the performance of Seppelt, who was the $2.20 favourite and finished third after being slow away and settled
at the tail of the field early.
Walsh was surprised to hear on Racing Retro yesterday morning that the inquiry will continue.
The Cambridge jockey said Seppelt felt "terrible" in his action going to the barriers for the $15,000 Hawkins Waikato Juvenile and he had the very promising youngster vetted before the start.
"Once he was trotted around at the start he vetted up okay and looked to be normal in action.
"Then when we jumped out he slipped behind - there was a skid mark on the track a foot and a half long.
"As a result of having no momentum he was crossed by three horses early and ended up getting a lot further back than we would have liked.
"When you miss your first stride in a 2-year-old race you're in trouble."
From his rear position, Seppelt ran on solidly into third rather than sprinting home quickly.
The 1200m was run in 1.10.17, slick time considering the footing.
"The owners were brought into the [inquiry] room and we all had a frank discussion about the race.
"Later in the day the signal was given that all riders were cleared to go and I imagined that was the end of it."
Yesterday John Oatham, who was on steward duty at Te Rapa, said he was not sure where the inquiry would go.
The race was won very impressively by Nightlign, who had been sold to Hong Kong two days before the race.
Trained by Keith and Brendon Hawtin, Nightlign dashed away from the opposition from the 220m to score by four lengths for Patrick Holmes.
A decision will be made in the next week whether Nightlign runs in the Manawatu Sires Produce before heading to Hong Kong.
* The group one $150,000 New Zealand Bloodstock Breeders Stakes at Te Aroha is the goal for Pentazia, stylish first-up winner at Te Rapa on Saturday.
Trainer Scott Lucock spent the remainder of the day working as part of the team operating the starting stall, as did Jamie Gillies, who rode the first winner, Blackheart.