You don’t see that every day.
Punters were left looking at their betslips in utter confusion on Thursday when the wrong horse won the 1.40 race at Yarmouth.
The two-year-old Mandarin Princess, trained by Charlie McBride, was announced the winner of the race at odds of 50-1, beating favourite Fyre Cay in a cluster of horses at the finish line.
Dramatic news – the 'winner' of Yarmouth's opener, 2yo Mandarin Princess, was in fact 3yo stablemate Millie's Kiss. More to follow… pic.twitter.com/nbmK7rpc8l
— At The Races (@AtTheRaces) July 27, 2017
But, in bizarre fashion, an inspection following the race revealed that it wasn’t Mandarin Princess at all but, rather, three-year-old stablemate Millie’s Kiss, who was scheduled to run at the 3.15 later that afternoon.
Several bookmakers have vowed to pay out on Mandarin Princess and the race favourite, while the British Horseracing Authority released the below statement on the incident:
“The Stewards held an enquiry to consider the circumstances surrounding the identification of the winner, MANDARIN PRINCESS, trained by Philip McBride, which was presented at the Sampling Unit for routine testing. The scan identified the horse to be MILLIE’S KISS, the trainer’s other runner in Race 4. They interviewed the trainer, the stable groom, the Veterinary Officer and the Equine Welfare Integrity Officer responsible for the Sampling Unit. Having heard their evidence they referred the matter to the Head Office of the British Horseracing Authority and ordered MILLIE’S KISS to be withdrawn from Race 4.”
The social media reaction was befitting of the absurdity of the race.
SCENES! We're paying out on Mandarin Princess AND Fyre Cay in 1.40 at Yarmouth. We've refunded bets on all other selections in the race.
— Paddy Power (@paddypower) July 27, 2017
wow, that's an enormous story breaking at Yarmouth re Mandarin Princess, especially with the 4-6 fav finishing second
— Hugh Taylor (@HughRacing) July 27, 2017
The situation at Yarmouth gets worse as it transpires that no announcement has been made at #Yarmouth. #millyskiss #mandarinprincess
— Dessie McKenzie (@dessie_mckenzie) July 27, 2017
https://twitter.com/MichaelMDowling/status/890591692377772032
Mandarin Princess, Millie's Kiss. Pretty similar name wise I suppose hahaha! #Yarmouth
— Alex Ballsy (@AlexBallsy1) July 27, 2017
@shergar81 I would have been more impressed if Mandarin Princess had turned out to be two blokes in a pantomime horse costume. #MilliesKiss
— peÑ‚er вragg (@Braggovic) July 27, 2017
