Racing’s ruling body did not take the case of the Yarmouth mix-up sufficiently seriously and questions remain unanswered.I felt that Charlie McBride let himself down very badly with his comments during and after yesterday’s disciplinary hearing but the bit that really has me wincing is the inadequate level of punishment eventually meted out by the British Horseracing Authority’s panel. A fine of £1,500 bears no relation to the degree of negligence shown by McBride in mistakenly saddling the wrong horse to run at Yarmouth a fortnight ago, or to the damage to racing’s reputation or the frustration and financial loss suffered by punters and bookmakers. Related: Charlie McBride will pay part of fine for wrong horse fiasco out of winnings...
The admirably consistent Tidal’s Baby lines up in the opener at Brighton with a chance to be runner-up for the seventh consecutive timeYou sometimes hear trainers express the hope that such-and-such a horse may be able to “run up a sequence”. Wins are what they’re hoping for but there’s no denying that the veteran Tidal’s Baby has run up quite an impressive sequence of his own this year, having finished second in each of his six races. Related: Extra scanning at British racecourses to avoid another wrong horse fiasco Continue reading...
It’s persisting down across the country, turning the ground soft and prompting a slew of non-runners. Look out for mudlarksBefore you can start looking for winners today, you must first find a runner. Heavy rain across the country is changing ground conditions as I type and the effect can be seen on the card at Bath, where an early soaking has already prompted 20 withdrawals. Meanwhile, Pontefract has survived an inspection but is heavy in places. Related: Josephine Gordon will not follow Turner lead and ride in France this winter Continue reading...
The flashy colt was beaten at odds of 8-11 on Sunday but Aidan O’Brien now believes that footwear may have been at faultHere’s another entry for the file marked ‘There’s Always An Explanation When A Good Horse Is Beaten On The Flat’. Aidan O’Brien reports an issue with Caravaggio’s shoes may account for his disappointing effort in Sunday’s Prix Maurice de Gheest. Related: Action needed to stop stable staff urinating on horses’ bedding, says trainer Continue reading...
The three-year-old who recently duffed up some two-year-olds in the name of a stablemate is back on the racecard in her own rightChris Cook: Millie’s Kiss, who was at the centre of Yarmouth’s recent ‘wrong horse’ controversy, returns to action at Windsor tonight, this time in her own name. On that occasion, she won in the name of her stablemate Mandarin Princess, who was actually in the racecourse stables while she was supposedly winning at 50-1. Related: Racing news and tips: Caravaggio flops as Brando wins in Deauville Continue reading...