The stewards' latest technological tool had apprentice Regan Bayliss under the gun in a protest then an inquiry for his whip action but the Hawkeye system finally proved his friend, clearing him at Warwick Farm on Wednesday.
Francais was Bayliss' first winner for premier trainer Chris Waller but it had to survive a protest from Godolphin's Circular, where the apprentice's whip action was questioned after he knocked James Innes' whip out of his hand in the final 50 metres.
The Hawkeye system has been used in Victoria for some time but Wednesday's Warwick Farm meeting was the first time it was used in NSW and stewards zeroed in on Bayliss' riding action during the protest.
As stewards zoomed in on the head-on shot during the protest, memories of the most famous addition of video to racing - when Mel Schumacher, riding Blue Era, was shown to have pulled the leg of Tommy Hill on Summer Era in the 1961 AJC Derby - came flooding back.
That was the first day the head-on camera was used and the protest was upheld leading to Schumacher being disqualified.
Bayliss was never in that much trouble but his action bordered on infringing the rules.
In the end the video showed Bayliss had not significantly changed his whip action. It also showed had Francais had not caused any interference to Circular, so he kept the win giving Waller a winning double after Chandana was impressive earlier in the afternoon.
Acting chairman Greg Rudolph asked Bayliss: "Did you change your whip action?" Godolphin assistant trainer Darren Beadman said "he changes his whip action dramatically".
Once the protest was dismissed stewards still wanted to see Bayliss and Innes about the whip being knocked.
As the two drove to the line, Bayliss' action got wider as he changed to the backhand action and then narrowed for a couple of strides before another wide swing caused Innes to lose his whip about 20 metres from the post. "I had the whip in my right hand and he had it in his left and I didn't even feel them touch. I didn't even know," Bayliss said.
Rudolph indicated to Bayliss after reviewing the video that he was lucky there was no change to way he used the whip in general terms.
"We see you made a wide swing about five strides before the whip is dislodged then narrow then wide again, we accept that is within your normal action. We want to remind you to ride in manner that is proper and in this case the video showed you did," Rudolph said.
Meanwhile Waller will have his first Hong Kong runner after Turnbull Stakes winner Preferment was named as one of three Australian invitees for next month's International meeting along with Lucia Valentina and Criterion.
Preferment will run in the Hong Kong International Vase after coming through his Melbourne Cup disappointment extremely well. While it is an afterthought in one way, the planning for it was done after his autumn campaign.
"We vaccinated about 20 horses at the end of their autumn campaign to give us the option of taking overseas and he was one of them," Waller said.
"He didn't really get his chance in the Melbourne Cup because of the way the race of run and he has done very well since, so it became a good option.
"He is 2400m plus horse and it is exciting for the stable."
Criterion and Lucia Valentina will run in the Hong Kong International Cup on December 13.
