BY LEWIS PORTEOUS 1:10PM 13 NOV 2014 See also What Is Going On At Wetherby? A follow-up and What is going on at Wetherby? THE BHA has revealed that Wetherby's Charlie Hall Chase was run over a distance shorter than advertised after a recent visit to the track unearthed that four of the 12 available distances at Wetherby have been incorrect for the last five years. Official times from Charlie Hall Chase day on November 1 thrust race distances at the track into the spotlight and, after remeasuring the course on Monday, the BHA has accepted responsibility for what it calls an "unacceptable" error. Monday's investigation revealed the 3m1f chase distance, used for the Charlie Hall, was 78 yards short of the minimum 3m 166yards required for a jumps race to be officially classified as "three miles about one furlong". The start will now been moved 84 yards further back. The 3m1f hurdle distance, over which Cole Harden won the West Yorkshire Hurdle on the same card, was found to be 38 yards longer than the maximum permitted for a jumps race to be officially described as "three miles about 1 furlong" and the start will now be moved forward 125 yards. In addition, the 1m5f bumper course will now become 1m4½f, the 2m4f hurdle course will change to 2m 4½f, the 3m 4½f chase course becomes 3m4f and the 4m1f chase course is now 4m½f. With the BHA "acknowledging responsibility" no action will be taken against Wetherby racecourse. Jamie Stier, director of raceday operations and regulation for BHA, said: "It is unacceptable that the hurdle and chase courses at Wetherby have for some time been operating over incorrect distances in some instances. "Accuracy of information is crucial to both punters and licensed persons and it is for this reason that back in October BHA made it a requirement for the effect of any running rail movements on race distances to be published alongside going reports. "The result here is that races run over four of the 12 available distances at Wetherby over a five-year period have been incorrect. This is unacceptable. However, it is the view of BHA that the scale of the inaccuracy is not sufficient for any retrospective action to be required in terms of the results of any of the races in question. "In the case of Wetherby we do not think it is appropriate that any further action should be taken against the racecourse. In considering this position we are cognisant that, while technically under the rules it is the racecourse's responsibility to ensure that distances are accurate, BHA were involved in the processes which gave rise to the issues at Wetherby. "We acknowledge our responsibility for this, as well as our responsibility to ensure public confidence in this regard." The catalyst of the error appears to be waterlogged ground for a meeting in November 2009. According to Wetherby, "emergency track modifications were implemented prior to racing" for that meeting due to issues with false/waterlogging ground in front of the stand. Wetherby say the modifications resulted in the separate hurdle and chase bends at the eastern end of the racecourse being reversed so that the runners were no longer required to cross over in front of the winning post, but instead at the entrance into the back straight. It was "agreed by all parties that the revised layout was a great improvement on the previous configuration" and has since remained as the default track configuration but distances were never remeasured. Jonjo Sanderson, Wetherby's chief executive, said: "Wetherby wishes to acknowledge its part in this unfortunate error and apologises to all parties affected by this since 2009. Furthermore, we are naturally extremely grateful that this discrepancy has been brought to our attention. "In order to rectify this issue, the BHA and Wetherby have spent a great deal of time since the bet365 Charlie Hall meeting concluded remeasuring the hurdle and chase tracks in order to ensure that, going forward, races are staged over their official distance, and we are grateful for the time the BHA racecourse inspectorate has committed to bring this to a satisfactory conclusion." The BHA says a project is underway to roll out a revised method of measuring course distances on jump tracks to bring it into line with protocol for the Flat, whereby measurements are taken six feet from the inside rail and all starts are professionally surveyed to the nearest yard.
Jamie Lynch ‏@LynchyTF BREAKING: Wetherby Racecourse today announced that all of their Tweets in response to the BHA distance enquiry will run to exactly 140 chara
The people who run the sport finally admit to complete incompetence. Who is John Sanderson trying to kid by describing this as an “unfortunate error”? We can separate the horses at the winning post down to parts of inches thanks to photo finish technology that originated decades ago but we are unable to perform the simple task of measuring the racecourse prior to each meeting to make sure that the races are being run over the right distance. How often on our flat courses do we see the running rail dolled out to avoid a bad piece of ground or to preserve a piece of ground for subsequent days’ racing? This always affects the distance and is just glibly excused despite the fact that the few extra yards could be the difference between the winner just getting up or just lasting out. It is surely not beyond the abilities of the people running each individual racecourse to start at the winning post and measure out the advertised race distance around the track to mark where the start should be placed. It is perfectly possible to be accurate within a distance of one yard so nonsense in racecards with guesstimates like “about three miles and one furlong” should be banished. It is three miles and 220 yards or it is not. How many sprints are run over less than five furlongs? No wonder Wesley Ward can clean up at Ascot with quarter horses! It would be nice to think that this is just a British eccentricity but it would not surprise me if virtually every year at the Arc meeting at Longchamp, the race distances on the Saturday are all wrong because they doll out the running rail in the straight by several yards to preserve the ground for Sunday. Some years when it is very heavy they have it dolled out on Sunday up until the race before the showpiece.
QM You are quite right and it's unforgiveable. Dolling off and saving ground is different and the difference is overated. Taking one full semicircular bend and making the the running rail be 2 yards out adds very little distance to the length of a race. I'd judge less than 5 yards. We're talking about half a furlong plus here! Always think its a good eyeopener for some when you say to someone 'if you put a rope round the Moon, and then wanted to put another rope 7 yards above the surface of the Moon how much longer would the second rope need to be'? The answer is of course 44 yards. Running 2 yards wide of the other horses as Adelaide did in the Caulfield added a mere 6 yards to Moore's course (that's less than 3 lengths), importantly it meant Moore could make one long, momentum-filled run on his mount.
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It might add little distance to the race but why have microscopic accuracy at the winning post when you make no attempt at being accurate in the race distance? Let us do away with the photo finish. If it is too close for the judge to call as they cross the line then it can be a dead heat. Nightmare for the punters and the bookies but the owner of the horse that did not quite win will be happy to split the prize money. Aidan O’Brien could get more than one Group 1 winner out of the same race – Coolmore would love it! Now if the jockey chooses to run wide of the field and yield the ground for some perceived advantage (e.g. the November Handicap at Doncaster 2014) that is a different matter. We see jockeys win or lose races every day of the week and accept that human error as part of the sport. Presumably all course records set in the last five years at Wetherby are invalid since the horses did not run as far as the previous record holders. Every racecourse in the country should be measured prior to racing by the clerk of the course to make sure that the advertised race distance is accurate irrespective of where they have put the running rails. Otherwise we should just go back to racing from one church tower to the next (now what did they call that?). I take it for granted that when Usain Bolt set the World record for the 100 metres that it was not 99.2 metres. Ron, you have been in Europe too long. You forgot the custard on your pi – it was 22/7 when I was at school and the circles all had diameters that were multiples of seven.
Yes all course records set in the last 5 years at Wetherby are null and void. The only alternative is to have the old records at the correct distance (sic) and some new records at these new discovered distances. Quite honestly Wetherby should be responding on these matters already. Has there been any announcement? Yes distances should be measured by the CoC before each meeting starts. Not sure what effect it would have on anything though. Maybe there should be a minimum distance effect number, just as in athletics they have a minimum wind assist figure. But quite honestly again I'm not sure what difference it would make to the race or a punter's view of that race. It does seem pathetic though. I remember my surprise when suddenly the Derby changed from being over 12f to 12f 10 yards.
Courtesy of Wiki. The inaugural running of the Derby was held on Thursday 4 May 1780. The first four runnings were contested over 1 mile, but this was amended to the current distance of 1½ miles in 1784. The Derby had previously been run in a more informal manner for many years during the 16th and 17th centuries on the sands at Leasowe, Wallasey, (now Merseyside) which was close to Lord Derby's estate in Knowsley. The starting point of the race was moved twice during the 19th century. The first move, suggested by Lord George Bentinck, was in 1848, and the second was in 1872. It was discovered in 1991 that the exact length of the race was one mile, four furlongs and 10 yards.
When I first read this, I wondered how many other courses were in the same boat. Do the clubs have their courses professionally surveyed?
