Gavin Cromwell, the Irish-licensed trainer of Earl of Bunnacurry (IRE), has been informed that the BHA has exercised its powers under Rule (F)83.1.2 – which state the BHA may refuse to allow a horse duly entered to run in any race in such circumstances as the Authority may determine – in order to prevent the horse from competing in 6:45pm Betway Vegas Handicap at Wolverhampton on Saturday 24 November.
The reason the BHA has taken this course of action is because, due to an operational error, the horse is scheduled to run off a mark which is 9lbs below its intended rating. If the horse had been allocated the correct rating of 61 then the horse would not have been running in this race as it would have been 1lbs over the ratings band (0-60) and therefore, under the race conditions, it would have been eliminated from the race.
The course of action of revising the horse’s weight in order that it carries the correct amount was not open to the BHA owing to Rule (F)134.5 which states that no change may be made to published weights after 9am on the day of declaration.
The BHA has offered it apologies to the horse’s trainer and owner, and extend those to the jockey and stable staff connected to the horse. We have offered to compensate connections for the inconvenience.
The BHA’s processes will be reviewed to reduce the risk of a similar incident occurring. Any further action will be an internal matter to the BHA.
Notes to editors
1. Every day a handicapper is assigned to check the ratings allocated to all entered horses, including foreign-trained horses who are entered to run in Britain, in order to ensure that the horses are allocated the correct rating.
On this occasion the handicapper failed to take account of the horse’s win on 12 November at Southwell when the horse won off a rating of 56 having been running from 4lb out of the handicap, and was allocated a performance figure of 61 by the BHA handicapper.
The horse subsequently ran again and won at Wolverhampton on November 21, in this race the horse was running off the correct mark as it was carrying a 6lbs penalty for the win at Southwell. However, the horse should have been due to run off a revised mark of 61 (plus a 6lbs penalty) for the race on 24 November, but instead was declared off the old rating of 52, therefore making it 9lbs well in.
