Race 1 Update – Ascot Good Friday Race Meeting
Racing and Wagering Western Australia (RWWA) announces that it will pay out the prizemoney earned in Race 1 at today’s Ascot race meeting, after it was declared void by Stewards.
Acting under the rule AR201, the Stewards declared the Mumm Champagne Handicap void, after it was run over 2100m instead of the programmed 2200m.
AR 201 (Discretion of Stewards if race started from incorrect starting position), states:
If a race is started from the incorrect starting position the Stewards may declare the race void and, if in the circumstances they consider it appropriate, order that the race be re-run on that day.
A Stewards inquiry was conducted following the incident to determine the cause of the error. The marker point for the barriers was incorrectly measured by club staff, which resulted in the barriers being positioned incorrectly.
Both RWWA and Perth Racing accept their responsibility for their part in the error and have spoken with all of those involved regarding need to ensure complete accuracy in such situations. After interviewing the relevant officials, a complete review into the circumstances surrounding the placement of the barriers will be conducted. Perth Racing are also reviewing all internal procedures to ensure greater due diligence moving forward.
The connections of runners engaged in the race, will receive the advertised prizemoney according to the finishing position of the horses.