It was anything but smooth sailing for Kathy O'Hara at Rosehill on Saturday until a controversial protest went her way.

O'Hara crashed to the turf when she fell from two-year-old Shadowofyoursmile but three races later she claimed victory in the stewards' room with Scream Machine.

She objected to the winner Marden's rider Peter Robl taking her running in the early stages of the Greg Houston Printing Handicap (1900m).

Stewards also fired in their own protest for interference suffered by Scream Machine near the 400m mark after O'Hara had decided not to include that in her objection.

They reversed the placings, taking into account both incidents and the long neck margin between the two horses.

A group of Marden's angry owners, who did not attend the protest hearing, later confronted Ray Murrihy near the mounting yard with one clearly upset with the chief steward.

Murrihy told the disgruntled owner to contact him on Monday if he wanted to discuss the overturned result.

Ironically, if Scream Machine had not finished in the placings Murrihy said there would have been a strong case for the promising middle distance horse to be declared a non-runner because he missed the start as a result of an attendant holding his head in the barrier stalls.

O'Hara was adamant the end result was the right one.

"It could have gone much more smoothly than it has already today but this is some sort of result," O'Hara said.

O'Hara hurt her shoulder and bruised her face when she fell in the opening race but was determined to ride Scream Machine.

After his win she said she believed she had also broken her little finger.

"If you roll around and get up and you're all right and you're in one piece, you just keep pushing on," she said.

"I really wanted to ride Scream Machine today. Thank God it worked out well."