Inquiry after pacer competes in wrong race!

IT’S no laughing matter, but a comedy of errors resulted in a pacer competing in the wrong race at Globe Derby last night.

In the absence of trainer Shane Loone due to health reasons, the horseman’s staff were late in getting his three entrants ready for the fifth event.

As such, one of the trio was left in his stall while a fourth stablemate, which was due to race later on the card, took his position in the field.

Competing as Jakes Sportswriter, Lets Get Shorty experienced a torrid run in the ‘death seat’ against more seasoned rivals before finishing a distant last.

A seven-year-old, Jakes Sportswriter has 24 wins and 45 placings from 173 starts, while four-year-old Lets Get Shorty has registered five wins and 25 placings from 62 outings.

It was only when Lets Get Shorty was presented an hour later for his race the error was uncovered.

According to the stewards’ report, the fact Loone’s runners were late into the parade ring caused the confusion.

“The starter explained that pre-race the trainer’s horses were routinely identified, being 6 – Jakes Sportwriter, 7 – Star Writer and 8 – Crookwell Jake, and that the horses were late into the parade area as she understood the attendants had incorrectly assessed the race order.”

Acknowledging the confusion among his staff, Loone stated the error was also contributed by the fact his runners were identified earlier in the stalls and not in the parade ring.

Jakes Sportwriter was ‘disqualified’ from the race.

As for Lets Get Shorty, upon a vet’s examination after stewards were alerted to the mix up, he was declared a late scratching as the attending vet found “the horse had exhibited an elevated heart rate in his opinion consistent with the horse having raced recently” while an examination of Jakes Sportwriter found he “exhibited a heart rate consistent with a horse which had recovered exceptionally and surprisingly well from its race but more likely had not been race exerted in the previous hour.”

An inquiry into the incident has been adjourned to a date to be fixed to permit Loone to attend and to provide stewards time to examine betting records.

Stewards have also opened an inquiry as to whether Lets Get Shorty was presented for his actual race in “an attempt by any persons to conceal that horse’s earlier participation in Race 5.”

The stewards’ reports states Loone’s staff member “conceded that post-race he had proceeded to unharness the horse identified as Lets Get Shorty, to take it to the wash bay and then prepare it to be presented to race in Race 7.”