Farcical Naas start 'compounded by errors made post-race' says IHRB chief

The chief executive of the Irish Horseracing Regulatory Board has issued an apology to those impacted by Sunday's catalogue of errors at Naas after a report into the farcical start laid blame on human error and a systems failure on the day.

Controversy reigned when no false start was called to the 1m7½f handicap hurdle despite the fact that Edward O'Grady's Shakeytry had whipped round and unshipped Phillip Enright, impeding Sean Says and Aarons Day in the process.

Watch back the controversial start at Naas

Derek Cullen, the starter on the day, let the field go and, after giving the leaders a massive head start, Aarons Day managed to finish second, the farcical start robbing him of victory.

The embarrassment did not end there for the IHRB. A premature 'winner all right' announcement meant the regulator had no option but to refer the matter on to the CEO Denis Egan.

Naas fiasco: Shakeytry (left) and Sean Says canter back after the controversial startCredit: Patrick McCann (racingpost.com/photos)

Had that erroneous call not been made, the raceday stewards could have declared Shakeytry and Sean Says non-runners under Rule 209 (v) if they were of the opinion that they had not started the race due to starter error.

They could have also declared the race void under Rule 10 (ii) (d) had they come to the conclusion the start was unfair.

Egan said: "The IHRB unreservedly apologises to everyone that was affected by this unfortunate incident. An error at the start was compounded by errors made post-race.

"While it is accepted that human errors will occur from time to time, systems are in place to minimise the chances of such errors occurring, and to address them if they happen. The systems did not work on this occasion and we commit to taking the necessary steps to avoid anything similar happening in future."

IHRB chief Denis Egan: 'The IHRB unreservedly apologises to everyone that was affected by this unfortunate incident'Credit: Patrick McCann (racingpost.com/photos)

He added: "I have apologised to the trainers of the three affected horses and they have acknowledged that what arose was due to human error. The stewarding committee will continue to monitor significant decisions, including what occurred in this instance and provide feedback to stewards and officials to ensure consistency and the highest standards of stewarding."

Cullen accepted at the investigation on Thursday that a false start should have been called at Naas. In his defence, it was outlined that the unshipping of Enright from Shakeytry to the tapes being raised happened in just a three-second window.

However, it was acknowledged that Cullen had sufficient time to signal to the advance flagman to raise his white flag and call a false start.

Not only that, there was a delay to the time from when the starter dropped his flag to when his assistant released the tape, which was recorded as being another opportunity missed to call a false start.

'That is shambolic' – Ruby Walsh slams Naas starter after chaotic scenes

The episode was labelled "shambolic" live on Racing TV by former multiple champion jockey Ruby Walsh. He expressed further dismay upon hearing the 'winner all right' was called despite the fact the stewards' inquiry had not taken place into the start.

The findings of Thursday's investigation noted that a stewards' inquiry should have been called immediately after it became apparent that there was a problem at the start, which may affect the result, and there were a number of missed opportunities to make that announcement.

The fact that the 'winner all right' was prematurely given in error ultimately robbed the stewards on the day of making any decision other than to refer the matter to the IHRB.

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