'It's our fault' - Brian Ellison apologises after wrong horse mix-up

Saturday: Bangor

Brian Ellison took full responsibility after he was forced to withdraw his runner from the bumper due to a case of mistaken identity.

Stewards on duty were notified by a veterinary officer that Ellison’s representative had presented an incorrect horse instead of Sworn To Be Free and ordered her to be withdrawn.

Ellison, who was at Newcastle, where he saddled a winner, was interviewed by phone and the matter was referred to the BHA's head London office.

The trainer told the Racing Post: "Mrs Hyde, who has the same owners [The Jekyll] has been retired and when we dropped her off, we picked up this filly, but unfortunately we've been given the wrong horse.

"Sworn To Be Free hadn't long been broken in and we were meant to be picking her up, but it wasn't the right horse.

"There were two horses in the field and we were told it was Sworn To Be Free, and it's not. We've had her a while and been training her, but we took her racing and found out it wasn't the right horse.

"They were in a pre-training place and it's just a mix-up. I don't know where Sworn To Be Free is now because I haven't spoken to the owners. I was going to sort it all out on Monday because I'm racing at Newcastle at the moment."

A Grade 1-winning trainer, the North Yorkshire-based Ellison, unsure of how severe any forthcoming punishment would be, went on: "I had a shock when I got the call. We took it on trust, but we should have rescanned her. The BHA have done that at Bangor today and it's our fault – we should have double checked.

"It would have been a can of worms if she'd run and won, but they all get checked nowadays, so she couldn't have run because it's all double checked, which we should have done, but we had no reason to.

"It was an innocent mistake – two bays in a field and we picked up the wrong one."

Magic McCain

Donald McCain, whose 150th success of the campaign came at Newcastle, prefaced that by sending out his 149th winner in Cenotice in the 2m1½f handicap chase.

The trainer was not done, however, and also struck on the card with Bob's Bar (2m4½f novice handicap chase) and Dedanser (maiden hurdle).

Results, replays and analysis

Read this next:

Grand National fairytale as 50-1 Noble Yeats wins for retiring Sam Waley-Cohen

2022 Grand National result: where your horse finished and who won

The Front Runner is our latest email newsletter available exclusively to Members' Club Ultimate subscribers. Chris Cook, a four-time Racing Reporter of the Year award winner, provides his take on the day's biggest stories and tips for the upcoming racing every morning from Monday to Friday