A protest lodged by jockey Nash Rawiller aboard Gringotts against the first-past-the-post Formal Display has dramatically altered the result of the $3 million The Big Dance (1600m) held in 2026.
Formal Display, sent off at $8, appeared to have secured victory after navigating a challenging run in the straight to narrowly edge out stablemate Hellsing ($26). Matias ($12) finished a short neck further back.
Protest in the Big Dance between Gringotts (4th) v Formal Display (1st) đź‘€
Who Wins?! https://t.co/LvI4EdNpJe
— Foxcatcher (@foxcatcherintel) November 3, 2026
Gringotts, the $2.80 favourite and seeking its third consecutive Big Dance title, endured its own difficult passage, finishing fourth and 1-1/4 lengths behind the initial winner.
Rawiller argued in his protest that Formal Display, ridden by Chad Schofield, caused interference between the 600m and 500m marks when shifting inwards, costing Gringotts 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 stated to 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.”
Schofield conceded Formal Display shifted from the fence on the bend but felt Gringotts could have held its line. He also cited the influence of Puntin, racing outside Gringotts, on the interference.
Furthermore, Schofield suggested that Formal Display would have won by a substantial margin if it had enjoyed a clear 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 commented.
Chief stipe Tom Moxon, after reviewing the incident, determined that the interference cost Gringotts “in excess of two lengths” prior to the turn.
He also found that Gringotts would have had 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.
Consequently, Hellsing was promoted to first place, Matias to second, and Gringotts to third, with Formal Display relegated to fourth.
The stewards’ decision had significant financial implications, costing Formal Display’s connections $1.485 million in prizemoney and denying Schofield a lucrative Sydney spring carnival treble.
Hellsing’s jockey, Tom Sherry, acknowledged that a protest win was not ideal but expressed his delight with the outcome.
“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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