While favourite backers held their collective breath during the running of the second race at Kenilworth on Saturday, things turned out well for most with the slow-starting betting board topper Paper Trail being declared a non runner in terms of the rules.
The often debated ‘rub of the green’ application, where a horse is not impeded by a handler and simply destroys his own chance in the stalls may have been expected to apply – especially by those who held the R18k quartet winning ticket and had brassed the favourite.
After the scratching, the quartet paid just North of R5k – but that’s racing.
“Paper Trail wasn’t under starters orders as he was rearing and on his hind legs as the starter pressed the button,” NHRA CEO Vee Moodley, who is at Kenilworth today, explained to the Sporting Post.
We asked Vee if it was the Starter’s error then?
“No. Look, it’s a case of milliseconds – a glance that they are all ready and a press of the go button. So it’s not human error. We are dealing with horses – it was a large field,” he confirmed.
The favourite’s jockey Sandile Mbhele rushed him through and around his field. He unsurprisingly ran out of steam – but what happens if he had won or placed? He can’t be declared a non runner if he had finished in the top four.
The rule applied by the Stipes was 61.5.10.2
Subject to RULE 61.5.10.3 in the event of the actions of a handler preventing a HORSE from starting in a RACE and/or resulting in a HORSE being impeded and thereby losing a significant distance when the stalls are opened, and no false start is declared, such HORSE may be deemed by the SB not to have started and the SB may declare it to have been withdrawn, provided that a horse which is ultimately declared first, second, third orfourth in a race by the judge shall not be declared a non-runner.
61.5.10.3 Where a HORSE has been impeded and has lost distance as contemplated by RULE 61.5.10.2, such HORSE shall not be declared a non-runner if, in the sole discretion of the SB, such impediment and subsequent loss of distance was as a consequence of the HORSE’S own behaviour
