An extraordinary sequel unfolded in the stewards’ room following the conclusion of the $3 million Big Dance, where a protest lodged by Nash Rawiller on Gringotts against the first-past-the-post Formal Display was upheld.
Formal Display, a $8 chance, navigated a difficult passage in the straight but found a gap to narrowly beat stablemate Hellsing ($26) by a short head. Matias ($12) secured third place, a short neck further back.
Protest in the Big Dance between Gringotts (4th) v Formal Display (1st) 👀
Who Wins?! https://t.co/LvI4EdNpJe
— Foxcatcher (@foxcatcherintel) November 3, 2026
Gringotts, the $2.80 favourite and vying for its third consecutive Big Dance (1600m) trophy, also faced interference during the race, ultimately finishing fourth, 1-1/4 lengths behind the initial victor.
Rawiller’s protest claimed interference from Formal Display between the 600m and 500m marks, asserting that the horse shifted inwards and caused Gringotts to lose significant ground.
“It’s probably put us from being a long neck off Chad to being three lengths behind him and trying to pick up the pieces,” Rawiller told stewards.
“It was quite severe interference at a difficult point of the race.
“I would have been three lengths closer, and travelling, and picking the runs as they opened.”
Jockey Chad Schofield conceded that Formal Display moved off the fence on the bend but maintained there was sufficient room for Gringotts. He also suggested that Puntin, positioned outside Gringotts, contributed to the interference.
Schofield further expressed his belief that Formal Display would have won by a considerable margin with an unimpeded run.
“My horse was held up until the last fifty metres of the race. If he gets a gap, he goes on and wins by three lengths,” Schofield stated.
Stewards, led by chief stipe Tom Moxon, deliberated before upholding the protest, with Moxon estimating the interference before the turn cost Gringotts “in excess of two lengths”.
He also determined that Gringotts would have encountered an unimpeded run into the straight behind Magnatear had the interference not occurred.
“Having regard to the incident and the ground lost, and how the horse did then close the race off, the stewards can be comfortably satisfied that, had that interference between the 600 metres and 500 metres not occurred, Gringotts would have finished in advance of Formal Display and therefore, we uphold the protest,” Moxon declared.
Hellsing was consequently elevated to first place, Matias to second, and Gringotts to third, with Formal Display demoted to fourth.
The revised prizemoney distribution meant Formal Display’s connections lost $1.485 million, and Schofield missed out on a significant Sydney spring carnival treble.
Hellsing’s jockey, Tom Sherry, admitted that a protest win wasn’t the ideal way to celebrate but was thrilled nonetheless.
“I was cursing Chad after the line, just because he’s on heat at the minute,” Sherry said.
“It was the first good chance I’ve had to win a race, so I wasn’t too happy with him, just because he won. I feel a little bit bad for him now, to be fair.
“It’s not how we want to win, but we’ll take it.”
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