Why we'll always remember Wylie

The sporting cliché "no one remembers who came second" is largely true - but not entirely. For example, it will always be remembered who came second in Belo Horizonte this week.

Plenty of other instances of failure to win - heroic, tragic, farcical - are memorable. On a personal note, the Sharks conceding in the last seconds of a Super rugby final was seen and cannot be unseen, while memory of West Ham having an FA Cup snatched away also abides unpleasantly.

When we talk about the Durban July, "losers" like Radlington in 1952, Sea Cottage in '66, Distinctly and Gatecrasher in '75, Surfing Home in '94 and Young Rake in 2000 are readily recalled - for various reasons.

To these we add the name Wylie Hall.

On Saturday, the four-year-old colt drained every drop of his energy to power across the Greyville turf and pass the July winning post ahead of 15 rivals, and for a moment his human connections were in dreamland.

Sadly it was a dream, one that quickly became a nightmare as the greatest honour in the South African game was whisked away by men in a room, crowded around a TV monitor, pointing and passing opinion.

Wylie Hall will never know he was demoted for bumping second-placed finisher Legislate in the closing stages of the race. But his jockey, trainer and owner sure will.

Trainer Weiho Marwing is facing a disciplinary inquiry for being a little forceful with a champagne glass in a TV studio when the upholding of the objection was announced. Can't the suits see they've hurt this man enough?

Owner Michael Leaf has been gracious, commenting that at least he has the photo of his horse "winning" the July.

Even Wylie Hall can't fight city hall.

I was standing in the parade ring before the July, watching JZ shake hands with jockeys and receive a few brave boos from the cheap seats, when a guy in lemon-yellow jacket and bright-blue pork-pie hat sauntered up. It was none other than the said Mr Leaf, a man I once co-owned a horse with - a horse of modest ability well below what he is accustomed to, but to which I am regrettably well accustomed.

He told me right there and then he fancied his beloved "Wylie" rather strongly, that the horse had been shoddily treated by the handicapper earlier on, that the 2014 July had long been a specific target and that preparations had been good. A price of 33/1 was nonsense.

I stuck him in a few last-minute combo bets, but didn't quite get those combos right. Inside info and I still lost.

However, my squandered money was nothing beside the wrenching disappointment suffered by my blue-hatted pal.

Oh yes, well done Legislate and his humans.

Someone else who won on the day was, ahem, The Times editor.

Having appointed me his betting adviser and been sorely disappointed, he went "freelance" in the Golden Slipper and stuck a bundle on rank outsider Bilateral, which paid R57 for the win.

I won't be allowed to forget the July day I came second in the betting stakes.