Punters' cheers turned to wails after Sydney pin-up Manawanui won then lost the Hobartville Stakes on Saturday after a rough-house final 100 metres in the Group Two race.After a successful protest by Nash Rawiller against Glyn Schofield, Wild And Proud ($31) was declared the winner over the $1.70 favourite with a half-head separating the pair.Stewards agreed with Rawiller that Manawanui had come in on top of Wild And Proud and made contact with him on two occasions at the 50 and 30-metre mark of

Punters' cheers turned to wails after Sydney pin-up Manawanui won then lost the Hobartville Stakes on Saturday after a rough-house final 100 metres in the Group Two race.

After a successful protest by Nash Rawiller against Glyn Schofield, Wild And Proud ($31) was declared the winner over the $1.70 favourite with a half-head separating the pair.

Stewards agreed with Rawiller that Manawanui had come in on top of Wild And Proud and made contact with him on two occasions at the 50 and 30-metre mark of the 1400m feature for three-year-olds.

The upside for Manawanui's trainer Ron Leemon was the performance of the gelding on the heavy (9) track.

"Naturally I'm disappointed but that's racing," Leemon said.

"But I am happy with the horse.

"It was not a soft run. It was a hard, tough battle and it shows he has come back well."

The Gai Waterhouse-trained Wild And Proud led from the outset and the only time he was headed was just before the incident happened.

"There was interference and Manawanui has dictated Wild And Proud's line," chief steward Ray Murrihy said.

"There was contact twice and Wild And Proud became unbalanced. He was hampered when he was coming back strongly and we uphold the protest."

Stewards did not agree with Schofield that third-placed Moment Of Change ($9.50) had come out from the inside and contributed to the incident.

In the skirmish, Hot Snitzel was squeezed out of his run and finished fifth with Hugh Bowman saying he was lucky to stay on his feet.

Waterhouse said Wild And Proud would head to the Randwick Guineas in two weeks and another possible clash with Manawanui.

"It's an unpleasant and disappointing way to win," she said.

"Nobody likes to win that way.

"But Wild And Proud is the most improved horse at Tulloch Lodge and will head to the Guineas next."

It was the second time Manawanui has finished second this preparation after an unlucky run in the Royal Sovereign Stakes two weeks ago.

On that occasion, Moment Of Change shifted out onto eventual winner Hot Snitzel which in turn forced Manawanui to change direction and halted his momentum.

Linda Meech, who replaced the suspended Blake Shinn on the Peter Moody-trained Moment Of Change, said the lightly-raced three-year-old had got a bit lost when he briefly hit the front.

"He was a bit green when he hit the front but it was a good effort," she said.

The three placegetters are all expected to line up in the Group One Randwick Guineas (1600m).