Furious punters say 'this is unreal' as carnage unfolds in Brighton race due to stall handlers being stuck in traffic

The Sun

11 August 2023

Furious punters say 'this is unreal' as carnage unfolds in Brighton race due to stall handlers being stuck in traffic

PUNTERS slated this 'farcical' Brighton race which saw a flip start for a five-and-a-half furlong sprint.

Stall handlers were stuck in traffic and couldn't make it to the course in time for the 2.30pm opener.

That meant the gates could not be used and the twitchy sprinters were made to race from the sort of start you see in jumps racing.

Fog at the track made conditions even worse.

An official BHA update said before the race: "Fixture Notice @BrightonRace: Due to stall handlers being delayed in traffic, Race 1 will commence via a flip start."

Punters were simply floored by the development, with one calling it 'shambolic'.

Respect punter Tony Calvin wrote: "One of the biggest betting jokes in recent years is that the result of the absurd first race was allowed to stand."

Another wrote: "This is just unreal."

One comment read: "Absolute shambles! Half the horses weren’t even in line! Over a 5f race, that’s just a joke!"

Another punter posted: "Farcical. A ten-runner five-furlong sprint as well."

While one post read: "Flip start in a sprint over 5.5f? Wow. Imagine you'd backed one in this."

David Probert, winning jockey on 9-2 Mr Fayez, said: "You can't see much. Visibility is a bit heavy. Hopefully they can get the stalls back in."

Racing was delayed after the first with the stall handlers, who were travelling to the track in a minibus, still stuck on the M25.

They have since arrived but a decision on whether racing can even continue was set to be made at 4.15pm.

However, this was then pushed back to 4.45pm - more than two hours after the opening race.

Eventually it was confirmed racing was abandoned, with Hayley Moore, reporting from the track for Sky, explaining why.

Contrary to early reports, the stalls themselves had been at the track all along - but they could not be used because only those trained can operate them.

Officials were waiting for the fog to lift - with jockeys reporting visibility to be poor - before the possibility of racing resuming... but it proved a futile exercise.

Three horses, Get Busy, Kodi Dancer and Thank You Lord, were withdrawn before the start of the disastrous first race.

Boom The Groom, the 17-2 punter favourite, had absolutely no chance after rearing and whipping round at the start.

Three of the ten horses in the race were beaten over 20 lengths in the minimum-distance race.

Mr Fayez was seen - just about - on TV pictures emerging from the fog to lead in the final 110 yards.

The horse saw off 100-30 fav Notre Maison by a neck, with 9-2 Under Curfew a further half-length back in third.

But the result left a sour taste in the mouth of punters, who backed horses unaware of the development at the track.

Racing TV presenter Tom Bull posted on Twitter: "In that kind of situation at Brighton, should that race be voided?

"Completely unacceptable for those left behind at the start, especially over the extended 5f. What chance have they got?"

One livid punter wrote: "Just void this shambles to make it look a little better."

And another said: "Should have been void. What a joke."

Sky Sports Racing pictures showed track officials in conversation with jockeys before going to walk the track to see if conditions were safe soon after the opener.

The weather was set to improve at 3pm but visibility was still greatly reduced long past 4pm and the whole thing was scrapped just before 5pm.

Friday's planned action at Brighton was the final of its three-day Festival of Racing.

The summer spectacular is the track's biggest meeting of the year but its remaining races hung in the balance as punters, jockeys and trainers waited to find out if it was safe to continue.