Mystery at the Curragh

[patriot1]

Rosscarberry disqualified from third place in the Pretty Polly for weighing in five pounds light.

Seems an open and shut case.

Or is it?

Niall Cronin, of the IHRB, expands upon the decision to demote Rosscarbery from third to last in the Pretty Polly Stakes at the Curragh. pic.twitter.com/bVhaokXkZA

— Racing TV (@RacingTV) June 26, 2022

[Ex RubyLight]

You have to be joking and that’s a good one. rDid this really happen at the Curragh today?

[IanDavies]

I like Nick Luck, but noticeable how he’s more inclined to get stuck in when he’s off his usual patch.

Doubt you’d ever hear him interrogating, say, Andrew Cooper, about watered ground like that.

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[patriot1]

You’d like more evidence Ruby?

Paddy Twomey plans to appeal the decision to demote Rosscarbery from third to last in the Pretty Polly Stakes at the Curragh, with the trainer citing a weighing-in "glitch". pic.twitter.com/KtpM6i5Tb2

— Racing TV (@RacingTV) June 26, 2022

[patriot1]

They’d paid a five figure sum to supplement him for this.

[IanDavies]

The twin morals of this story –

– Enter your horse for literally every race in the Calendar it’s eligible for so you never have to supplement

– Insist on putting up 5lb overweight before every race

Sorted!

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[Cork All Star]

“Noticeable how he’s more inclined to get stuck in when he’s off his usual patch.”

Agree – but it is only the equivalent of the British racing hacks putting the boot into French jockeys, while ignoring bad rides by the jockeys they encounter every day.

[IanDavies]

Absolutely and it’s a phenomenon I first noticed regarding the ride Yutaka Take gave White Muzzle in the Arc back in the way.

Japanese jockey, French race – the UK racing hacks got stuck in, trashing Take, like you wouldn’t believe and in a manner they never, EVER, would if it was a UK jockey on UK soil.

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[patriot1]

Absolutely spot on Ian.

[Cork All Star]

Adam Kondrat and Thierry Doumen were often on the receiving end of some unfair criticism at Cheltenham.

In this case at the Curragh, if the Clerk of the Scales is at fault I expect it will be another case of an official getting away with it while a trainer or jockey would be penalised for a mistake.

[Gingertipster]

Officials making a mistake is different to a trainer or jockey, CAS; because there is not the same chance of corruption and / or self interest.

I’d like to say give a written warning for first offence, demoted to smaller racecourses for a second offence, sacked completely for a third. However, if there is a harsh penalty then no Clerk would own up. Resulting in horses / trainers / jockeys getting an unfair advantage.

So it is difficult to know what the punishment should be for a clerk of scales.

Any ideas?

Value Is Everything

[FinalFurlong91]

If this has been caused by an employee of the racetrack surely the owners should be refunded the supplementary entry fee they paid as a show of good faith

[Ex RubyLight]

The real trouble would be if the horse ran with pound less under the saddle. Connections of the beaten horses might argue that without Rosscarbery the complexion of the race could had changed significantly. Which certainly would be true.

I mean, if you look at the replay it was Rosscarbery which kept Dreamloper in the pocket, a horse which couldn’t go to the front or be more prominent in the early part of the race. She also forced Go Astra to go five-wide when entering the straight (that was after they ran through the approach that brought them into the straight) and she also kept Purpleplay and Concert Hall in a pocket with two furlongs to go.

It doesn’t help complaining since we still don’t know under how much weight she ran. But either way there are a lot of questions to be asked.

[patriot1]

It’s more likely that she ran with five pounds less than she was meant to. In order to have run with the correct weight that would have needed both the trainer to put the wrong weight in the saddle and the clerk or scales to have made a mistake which is less likely.

I would agree that the entry fee should be refunded as the error meant that the horse really didn’t take part in the race even though it’s officially placed last.

[seaing stars]

If there was a mistake by the clerk it sounds more likely to have been when weighing out, from what the trainer has said, so the horse probably did run 5lbs light. I initially wondered why bother appealing in that case but the angle of trying to get the entry fee back makes sense.

[Author]

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