The British Horseracing Authority has vowed it will “take measures to improve the robustness of the identification process” after it was revealed on Thursday that two horses ran in incorrect races at Southwell on Jan. 14. It is the second time in six months that an incorrect horse has competed on a British racecourse.
A hearing will be held to consider charges against trainer Ivan Furtado, whose Scribner Creek (Ire) (Roderic O'Connor {Ire}) and African Trader (Lonhro {Aus}) ran in each other's respected races at Southwell on Jan. 14, finishing third and a dead-heat seventh, respectively. The error was picked up the following day through a BHA audit process where it was discovered there was a discrepancy with the identity of a horse that was sent for sampling. As it is the responsibility of the trainer to ensure that the correct horse runs in the correct race, Furtado will face an independent disciplinary panel to determine what, if any, action should be taken.
The BHA recognized in its statement, however, that it has overall responsibility for the running of a raceday and that such incidents affect the confidence of the betting public, bookmakers and other participants and undermines the integrity of the sport.
The BHA will in March roll out a scanning device that “links the identity of the horse being scanned out to the racecard for the race it is being scanned out for. This will ensure that if the wrong horse is brought out to be saddled an alert will prevent this from occurring.” The BHA may also implement an interim measure to ensure all placed horses are scanned prior to weighing in. The BHA noted the extra step of scanning horses before they enter the saddling enclosure was implemented after the Yarmouth incident in July, but the most recent incident shows the system needs further improvement.
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