Dubai: Bondi Beach was awarded the Group 1 St. Leger at Doncaster after the stewards sensationally disqualified the winner Simple Verse following a lengthy inquiry that was telecast live.

During a nail-biting finish to the final Classic of the British racing season Simple Verse, ridden by Andrea Azteni, twice-bumped Bondi Beach, the mount of Colm O’Donoughue, encouraging officials to rule that the two incidents had made the difference between winning and losing.

The result handed O’Donoughue a career-first Classic success and gifted Irish handler Aidan O’Brien a fifth success in the 2,800 metre contest after Milan in 2001.

Storm The Stars, bidding to give Shaikh Juma Dalmook Al Maktoum his first Classic victory in the UK, looked to have every chance when he hit the front at the two-furlong marker, but was soon caught out for speed closer to home in a high-speed finish.

O’Brien who was at Leopardstown in Ireland, told At The Races: “I’m delighted, you’re always sorry to get a race like that, but I think it was a little bit messy up the straight and Colm gave him a great ride. He’s a brave horse.

“I’m sorry for connections of the second, but we’re delighted that he won.”

O’Donoughue, 35, commiserated with Aztenia, but maintained that his horse deserved to have been declared the winner although he did add that ‘the rules helped me win the race.’

Simple Verse’s trained Ralph Beckett said he was ‘astonished’ with the Stewards’ decision and revealed that he will challenge the verdict.

“I’m astonished, apart from anything else. There’s no consistency in the rules,” he protested.

“We lose the race when clearly both horses leaned on each other. Can you say it was entirely her fault? I can’t say that.

“One thing is for sure that is that it’s absolutely certain we will appeal.”

Explaining the decision, Doncaster’s stipendiary steward Paul Baton said in the Sportinglife: “We first had to decide whether there was interference and clearly there was — one instance at the two-furlong marker and one half a furlong out.

“Having concluded that Simple Verse had caused both instances, we then had to decide whether they had improved Simple Verse’s position. We decided that the combination of the two instances had influenced the result.

“In the room, the stewards have to be satisfied that they have reached the right opinion — not satisfied beyond all reasonable doubt, but satisfied — and I think they are and that the right decision has been reached.”