26 September 2023 , 10:08
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Harry Redknapp’s latest jumps horse was the victim of what his trainer claimed was an “unfair” result when he made his hurdles debut at Warwick.
Mikimoto, bought in March for £46,000 for the former Premier League manager and co-owner Karen Salters, was having his first start for his new connections in a novices’ race on Monday.
And for a moment it looked as though it might have been a successful one as the 11-2 chance crossed the line locked together with the Jonjo O’Neill-trained Track And Trace.
The result was called with Track And Trace announced as the winner but then there was a delay while the stewards held an inquiry after it emerged the photo-finish camera was not working.
“There was a delay to the weighed-in for this race whilst the Judging verification procedure was undertaken to determine the outcome of a photo-finish for first and second place, following which the result was confirmed,” the stewards report said..
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“The Stewards held an enquiry to consider why the photo-finish cameras had failed in the first race.
“They interviewed the Judge and the Photo-Finish Operator, who explained that having triggered the photo-finish it initially began to record, before failing as the horses crossed the line.
“He added that the equipment was re-tested before the start of race 2. Having heard their evidence, the Stewards ordered a report to be forwarded to the British Horseracing Authority.”
Test And Trace (nearest) was deemed the short head winner (@RacingTV)Redknapp, 76, who managed Tottenham Hotspur, West Ham, Portsmouth, Bournemouth, Southampton, QPR and Birmingham, has a number of horses in training among them the Keighley-trained Back On The Lash who contested the Grand National in April.
Keighley was not happy with the outcome at Warwick. “It’s quite harsh because they’ve got no evidence of the line,” he told RacingTV.
“I did go to the stewards room and took a photo of what they showed me. They just go from a strip, a line that’s been made and I just don’t think that’s really good enough.
“They can’t actually say where the camera line was. A fair decision would have been a dead-heat in my opinion. Sean [Bowen, jockey] thinks I should appeal. I will speak to someone else about it and see.
“There is no clarity there. A fair decision would have been a dead-heat and everyone would have been happy. It was so close.
“The screenshot they showed me was so tight. To judge if from a mowed line on the grass, without that proper photo, I just thought it was a bit unfair.”