THE Stewards at Doncaster on Sunday looked to have made a major mistake again when demoting Nashaab, winner of the Mail on Sunday Handicap by a head from Unshaken.

The stewards were very slow to announce an enquiry and some bookmakers and the Tote had already paid out.

It transpired that the Racecourse Technical Unit, which makes the tune usually associated with enquiries, was under repair and the replacement was not equipped with a klaxon.

Nashaab did drift into Unshaken but the two horses did not touch and I think Nashaab won on merit.

Trainer David Evans has lodged an appeal but, although two of our better known and larger trainers have recently won appeals, I doubt whether Evans will.

The Jockey Club will not want to lose face. There is definitely a lack of consistency among our stewards and this does need to be reviewed.

GALILEO absolutely annihilated the opposition in the Irish Derby on Sunday. He does appear to be one of the best horses that we have seen for many years - better even than the greats such as Nijinsky, Sir Ivor and Sea Bird.

EACH day we see horses giving trouble at the starting stalls.

I think it's high time the design of starting stalls was reviewed. The starting stalls used in Britain are supplied by Racecourse Technical Services, who transport them around the country to all our racecourses and supply teams of excellent stalls handlers.

As a trainer, I'm not allowed a licence unless I either own or have close access to a set of starting stalls. The stalls used on racecourses are designed with transport in mind.

In my opinion racecourses should all have to have their own set of starting stalls, the design could then be better for horse and rider and not with transportation in mind.

Racecourse Technical Services could be contracted to do all maintenance and supply stalls handlers. The savings made in transportation costs would be enormous and horses and riders would have a safe and better stall.

THE foot-and-mouth crisis continues. Now in its sixth month, the Government finally decides to install a wagon disinfectant wash near Merrybent, Darlington, for milk tankers and wagons going on to farms - months too late.

MUNGO Park continues to frustrate, but he's receiving no help from the handicapper.

He's now rated 80, which is 3lb more than he's ever won off. Surely at seven-years-old, the handicapper should know Mungo Park well enough by now to give him a slight chance.

ALTHOUGH Nothern Echo ran OK at Warwick yesterday, the decision now is that he really needs to go over hurdles. We'll look at starting him off at Sedgefield a week on Thursday as long as the ground is not too firm.

MALADERIE performed well at Thirsk, finishing fourth, recently. He runs at Windsor on Monday evening as long as he's not eliminated.

I think he'll run OK but he'll need to step up in form to be in the shake-up.