Trainer Dean Taylor had two runners in the 2nd race at the Addington Trots last night.
One was a brown mare with a white fetlock and star, brand number 163916.
The other was a bay gelding with only a few white hairs on its forehead, brand number 175635.
They were a bit hard to miss.
But miss them the RIB Stewards did.
The mare, named Baileys Diamond, was supposed to start from position 5 off the mobile.
Best Trio, the gelding, was meant to begin from 8.
Someone in the stable made a mistake and put the wrong numbers on the horses, and they raced as each other instead of themselves, and started from the wrong barriers.
It materially affected the running and the result of the race, for Best Trio took advantage of his undue inside barrier and went to the death, putting on the speed and allowing the eventual winner Matt Major to get the 1-1 on a good speed and hugely advance his chances of winning.
Mistakes happen, which is why we have Stewards.
They are supposed to check the horses brands, appearance and numbers prior to the race, as a secondary mechanism to ensure that any errors are picked up.
Sadly however, it is very difficult for a Steward to detect these sort of slip ups when they are operating remotely from home.
We wrote a couple of weeks ago about the unacceptability of RIB stipe Shane Renault being allowed to continue working as a Steward when he is unable or unwilling to get vaccinated against COVID-19, and thus cannot attend the track to perform his duties.
This was no knock against Mr Renault, who may well have very good personal, religious or family reasons for not getting vaxxed.
But it is up to his employer to find him suitable alternative employment in the RIB if that is the case, and he should never have been allowed to continue working as a Steward away from the race course where his prime responsibilities lie.
We are not saying that last night’s appalling mistake by the Stewards was Renault’s fault, for clearly it wasn’t.
How could he stuff up if he wasn’t actually there?
Therein though lies the problem.
He wasn’t there.
All the RIB’s unvaxxed chickens have come home to roost.
And it’s the punters who are left to suck the rotten eggs.
