The British Horseracing Authority have apologised after an incorrect judgement was made on a photo-finish following a race at Kempton on Friday evening.
The mile-and-a-half handicap race was a tight-run affair, with favourite Oregon Gift being chased all the way to the line by 8-1 chance Bird For Life, a photo-finish review was determined in favour of the latter.
However, upon further review, the BHA announced that Oregon Gift had indeed held onto the lead by the time the horses came to the conclusion of the chase.
Unfortunately for those with money riding on the race, the result will not change anything with bookmakers.
The BHA said:
As per the Tattersalls rules of betting, the result that was called on the day stands for betting purposes.
BHA director of integrity and raceday operations Brant Dunshea said:
While it is appropriate that our processes allow us to put this right financially by the owner of the winning horse, we are aware that the betting public are significantly affected by issues such as this owing to the fact that the rules of betting mean that the result called on the day stands for betting purposes.
We apologise to everyone affected.
For the future, the BHA have pledged to address the risk of the wrong horse being declared a winner.
A BHA statement read:
The action, which is presently still being formulated, will provide further support for judges by ensuring that all photo-finish decisions are available for review by a BHA official before the ‘weighed-in’ is announced, ensuring that there is a second check before betting is settled.
