Young Master victory subject to BHA probe

An OBJECTION has been lodged by the British Horseracing Authority against The Young Master following his controversial success in the Badger Ales Trophy at Wincanton on Saturday.
Barry Geraghty: Double whammyBarry Geraghty: Double whammy
Barry Geraghty: Double whammy

It emerged in the aftermath of what was a seven-length win for the Neil Mulholland-trained five-year-old that the gelding was ineligible to run under the conditions of the race, having only had two previous runs over fences when three were required.

The matter will be considered by the disciplinary panel of the BHA, possibly this Thursday.

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The horse has an engagement at Cheltenham on Friday, and the BHA said it was “aware that clarity needs to be provided regarding the horse’s handicap mark, and also whether the horse will be required to carry a penalty should it take up its entry on Friday.”

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The Young Master was ridden by Barry Geraghty, who wrote in his blog for At The Races: “The win of The Young Master in the Badger Ales Trophy should have announced him as a very smart chaser for Neil Mulholland. But it transpired after his easy win over a competitive field that he wasn’t qualified to run because it was a Class 1 handicap and under the rules he had to have run in three chases to qualify and not two as was the case.

“Now the owners face losing the prize money and getting a big hike in the horse’s rating which will make further success tricky.

“That’s a real double whammy and doesn’t seem fair to me.”

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