Trainer James Owen is considering an appeal following a closely contested photo finish at Newmarket on Saturday. The race, a handicap with a prize exceeding £50,000, saw Owen's horse Magnetude narrowly pipped at the post by Mythical Bay, trained by Andrew Balding.

The result was so tight that the judge required five minutes to determine the winner. During this interval, betting markets briefly saw Magnetude as the favorite to claim victory. Ultimately, Mythical Bay was awarded the win by the slimmest of margins—described as a single pixel difference.

Owen expressed concern over the clarity of the photo finish, noting that Magnetude’s nose appeared distinctly defined while the winning horse’s nose was less clear in the image. “Our horse has a definitive line on his nose, you can see the outline of his nose and the winner was very blurred,” he said. Owen indicated that his team is seriously considering lodging an appeal against the decision.

No official response has yet been provided by racing authorities regarding the possible appeal or the interpretation of the photo finish evidence.