Horse Racing

Favourite-backers were left fuming after the race after the odds-on Fyre Cay was found half an hour after the race was over to have been beaten a neck by Millie's Kiss, a 70-rated three-year-old due to run later on the card, rather than cheaply-bought debutante Mandarin Princess.

Both horses were trained by Charlie McBride, but a mix-up in the racecourse stables saw the wrong horse saddled up and make a winning debut under John Egan.

"All of the horses are brought into the stables, tested for their microchips and allocated stable boxes as they arrive," stipendiary steward Tony McGlone told At The Races.

"Mr McBride was delayed leaving the weighing room with the saddle. Meanwhile, his groom had taken the horse to the stabling boxes, but Mr McBride went back to the stables and put the saddle on the wrong horse.

"After it had won, we sent the horse for routine testing as normal. The veterinary officer tested the horse's chip and found it was the wrong one.

"We've listed the enquiry, we'll send the report on, and the BHA have 14 days to decide whether an offence has taken place, but it seems like a genuine mistake.

"I can't remember anything like this ever happening before, which shows you that the systems we have in place usually work to prevent this sort of thing from happening, but like everything, nothing is entirely failsafe."

Sky Bet confirmed shortly after the news broke that they would pay out on odds-on runner-up Fyre Cay, as well as the first horse past the post.

Spokesman Michael Shinners said: "This is a bizarre, virtually unprecedented incident and punters who backed the second have every right to feel hard done by.

"We feel they deserve to be paid out, so that's what we're doing.

"However, anyone backing the 'winner' did so in good faith, too, so they'll also be paid out."

A report issued by the British Horseracing Authority read: "The stewards held an inquiry to consider the circumstances surrounding the identification of the winner, Mandarin Princess, trained by Philip (Charlie) McBride, which was presented at the sampling unit for routine testing.

"The scan identified the horse to be Millie's Kiss, the trainer's other runner in race four.

"They interviewed the trainer, the stable groom, the veterinary officer and the equine welfare integrity officer responsible for the sampling unit.

"Having heard their evidence they referred the matter to the head office of the British Horseracing Authority and ordered Millie's Kiss to be withdrawn from race four."

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