Stalls incident sees Windsor race voided

Windsor officials declared the Free Digital Racecard At raceday-ready.com Apprentice Handicap void after a false start, with five of the seven riders involved each banned for 10 days.

Beaumadier, ridden by Conor Whiteley, appeared to anticipate the stalls opening, while at the same time Master Zack reared up under Ryan Kavanagh, with the gates triggered in the melee.

Kavanagh stepped on to the side of the stalls and Master Zack ran away with the blindfold on, breaking through a couple of the plastic rails but was caught and reported to be none the worse for the experience.

That left six running over the five furlongs, including Beaumadier who was very slowly away after his stalls incident and detached from the group, with Tommie Jakes passing the post first on Michael Attwater’s Cabeza De Llave.

Jakes told Sky Sports Racing: “I wouldn’t have seen the starter waving a flag as I was drawn wide. I don’t know why it was a false start anyway.

“I know a horse reared up just as I left the gates but I didn’t think anything of it really. I did hear a bit of screaming at the start but I thought that was when the one reared up.

“We just heard on the commentary and I didn’t see any flag, so I just carried on.”

Jack Doughty, Jack Dace, Taryn Langley and Alec Voikhansky all completed the course on their respective mounts and along with Jakes received a 10-day for failing to pull up.

Richard Westropp, chief stipendiary steward said: “Stall two (Beaumadier), the door flapped back into his path as the start was activated, so on the basis of that the starter called a false start.

“His flag was raised as it should be. All the horses ran but stall four (Master Zack) got loose.

“On the basis of the starter calling a false start, the recall man was stood right in the middle of the track, he waved his flag and blew his whistle, so procedures were followed to a tee.

“The jockeys told us in the inquiry they did not see the flag or hear the whistle, bar Mr Whiteley who did on horse number two, who actually activated the false start in the first place. He did see and made every effort to pull up his horse up.

“All the jockeys bar Conor Whiteley and Ryan Kavanagh have been banned for 10 days. Every jockey is entitled to an appeal, that is entirely up to them.

“Our footage is very clear, the recall man is stood in the middle of the track and blowing his whistle. I think all the procedures were followed correctly.”