An identification bungle involving two stablemates has led to the wrong horse being declared the winner of a low-key race in Western Australia.
In an embarrassing postscript to a provincial race that sparked fears of a ring-in, stewards declared correct weight after the horse thought to be the Paul Jordan-trained El Alamein broke through against maiden runners at Northam on Thursday.
Instead, it was later uncovered that the horse in question was El Alamein’s stablemate Urquhart’s Bluff, who was entered for a later race at the meeting, about 100km west of Perth.
But the mistake was discovered too late for betting agencies, who paid out on the across-the-line finish because stewards had posted all-clear on the race.
The result stood, leaving favourite backers out of pocket.
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A stewards’ inquiry disqualified the runner.
Urquhart’s Bluff was a subsequent scratching from his engagement.
Racing and Wagering Western Australia (RWWA) said “human error” was to blame for the mix-up.
"It was determined the misidentification occurred due to human error, with the horse incorrectly saddled and starting in the wrong event," an RWWA statement read.
"El Alamein was subsequently disqualified from the race and the race’s placings were amended.
"Stewards are satisfied the incident was not deliberate and was the result of human error. There was no unusual or suspicious betting activity on the race identified by wagering analysts.
"The process of swabbing requires a further identity check of a horse, and would have identified the incorrect runner, if it wasn’t already made apparent on course."
A four-year-old, Urquhart’s Bluff was a Pinjarra winner in February and therefore ineligible to contest a race for horses yet to win in their careers.
The race was also restricted to three-year-olds.
A brown-coloured horse, El Alamein is 12 months younger than his bay stablemate, with unplaced outings at Ascot and Belmont to his name ahead of his entry for Northam.
Australian thoroughbreds are microchipped for identification and traceability purposes.
Microchips provide a permanent and unique ID and they are routinely scanned before a race to verify a runner’s identity.
Taking up the running under jockey Craig Staples, Urquhart’s Bluff, under his stablemate’s name, kicked strongly in the straight to have 2-1/2 lengths to spare over the favourite Xentaro ($3.10) with Tabba Tabba Boom ($19) taking the minor placing.
Official fluctuations showed “El Alamein” opened at $4.40, drifted to $7.50 before firming slightly to $7 and returned a starting price of $7.50.
RWWA has a dual role, as a principal racing authority and operator of the WA TAB but racing integrity decisions are made independently by RWWA stewards under the rules of racing.
"The wagering business has no involvement in those decisions. WA TAB, consistent with wagering practice, settles bets based on the official results - correct weight - declared by stewards," RWWA said.
"While the official result has changed under industry rules, WA TAB will continue to settle bets on correct weight."
The debacle closely followed the anniversary of one of Australian racing’s biggest scandals when Fine Cotton was substituted for the much better-performed Bold Personality in a race at Eagle Farm on August 18, 1984.
Backed from 33/1 to 7/2 with bookmakers around the country, the ring-in held on before stewards launched an inquiry as the horse returned to scale and disqualified the winner.
