This seems the opposite of logical to me. You say Harris never beat any of the other two, but at the same time he was also unbeaten by the other two riders. To make a decision based on Hierarchy would have been a impossible and an awful idea.
I don't agree with Ellis being given the wildcard, but I do understand the logic in a situation where there was no ideal solution. GPs are supposed to showcase the very best riders in the world, with the wildcard being the best rider from the staging country who is not already in the GPs. The solution of giving it to Ellis was fair to him, but as a paying punter I want to see the best rider on this years form, not the best from last year.
This all comes down to poor planning. Why was an event like this held so close to the GP with no plan B? A conversation in the changing rooms after the very likely event of a rain off isn't good enough!