BTC Stewards, your slip is showing!
By Sharan Kumar
Last Sunday’s incident when
General Patton was declared a non-starter under dubious circumstances was a
blot on the Stewards who are supposed to ensure fair racing. The incidents
leading to the outcome of the race deserve a thorough investigation as there’s
more to the event than meets the eye.
The lower division of the Tudor
Jet Plate, a race for horses rated 20 to 45, saw Prasanna Kumar trained Always
Happy being backed to the exclusion of the rest. The odds offered on General
Patton which had opened as a joint-favourite along with Always Happy in the ante-post
betting drifted out alarmingly, suggesting that the horse would not be seen in
serious business. Coincidentally, the horse did not get a good start, the
jockey took out one of his feet from the stirrups and midway through the race
put it back in the stirrup. The horse finished down the field. There was a
Stewards enquiry as the jockey of General Patton namely Jagadish is reported to
have complained that the starter ignored his shout that the hood had not been
removed and that his attempt to draw the attention of the starter went
unheeded. The Stewards declared General Patton as a non-starter.
The BTC Stewards permitted the
use of the red hood on the horses to keep them calm in the paddock and while
being led to the starting gates. The hood blocks out sound, helping those
horses which can get a bit nervous and edgy from the noise of crowds.
Since then, several trainers have sent their horses using the hood which
stands out because of its colour and will not be missed by anyone watching the
horses. The equipment has to be removed before the horse is loaded into the
gates.
This means that as soon as the
horse reaches the starting gates, the hood has to be removed by the handlers.
The jockey should also alert the handlers to this as well before the loading of
the horse starts. The Starter is also expected to ensure that this is done
before he calls the horses for loading. There will be two starters at the gate
to ensure that all procedure is followed. Apart from the starters, the
veterinary officer is also present along with one of the Stipes in the patrol
jeep. How all of them failed to notice the garish-looking red hood and allowed
the horse to be loaded into the stalls is a mystery.
The jockey told the Stewards that
he was trying to draw the attention of the starter during the loading process.
The Stewards did not question the jockey as to why he did not alert the starter
as soon as he reached the starting gate and waited till loaded into the gates.
The hood is not like a blindfold which is removed when the start is given. The
fact that the horse was not in the race was somehow known to the bookmakers who
increased the odds on the horse to astronomical proportions from the morning
quote when it had started as a joint-favourite with the eventual winner in the
morning. The horse had credentials to be figuring at the finish.
The racing incident report read
as under:
``It was observed that the red
hood on GENERAL PATTON ridden by Jockey V.R. Jagadeesh had not been removed
before the start was given. The horse after jumping out of the gates knuckled
and the rider got unbalanced and his right stirrup was lost which he regained
at the final bend. Subsequently, at the behest of the Stipendiary Stewards, a
Stewards enquiry was held into the incident and it was established that GENERAL
PATTON ran with the red hood throughout the race. After due enquiry, the
Stewards decided to declare GENERAL PATTON (V.R. Jagadeesh) as a non-starter in
accordance with Rule No. 31 (a) of the B.T.C Rules of Racing.’’
Such a glaring lapse could happen
because of the failure of the checks and balances that should have been in
place. Since the Stewards are the ones expected to protect the integrity of the
sport and make all the rules, they also should get the blame for letting this
incident happen. The starter and the other erring racing professionals should
have been penalized for their lapse. Luckily for the punters who had put their
faith in General Patton, the money was refunded. But such incidents bring a bad
name to the sport and raise one’s suspicion about the fairness of the sport.
Interestingly, one of the
starters is also a betting ring supervisor. The starter has a crucial role to
play and he should not be in any way associated with the bookmakers. One has
not forgotten an incident that happened long back in Bangalore when one of the
gambled horses which had a wide outside draw was smuggled in at draw number 2
and the start was given without anyone noticing it.
The Stewards ignored their own
rules when giving jockey Anthony Raj just two days' suspension for what they
termed as ``dangerous riding’’ in the racing incidents report. Anthony Raj cut
across the field and caused interference to a host of horses while riding Arjun
Mangalorkar trained Ricardo to victory. The jockey accepted his guilt and was
given a two-day suspension. The Stewards in the past used to follow the
guidelines issued by them for various infringements without any favour in the
past. Careless riding got a jockey a suspension of four days while dangerous
riding attracted a suspension of eight to 12 race days.
Where on earth does one term
riding as dangerous and then give such a mild suspension?
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