Club sorry for keeping punters guessing in last-race fiasco

AN angry punter vents his fury at the riderless Trader Joe, who broke through the gates, triggering a false start and throwing the last race into chaos. The Jockey Club last night apologised to Sha Tin racegoers for not being able to inform them the race would be re-run after the false start.

Chief stipendiary steward John Schreck, with chief executive Lawrence Wong and director of racing Winfried Engelbrecht-Bresges said steps would be taken to ensure it did not happen again.

'It is always possible to learn something from a situation such as this and finding a way to quickly inform the public is the one thing we do know after this evening,' said Schreck.

The drama began in the 1,400-metre former Class Two event when topweight Trader Joe, with Corey Brown in the saddle, broke out of gate three. The Australian jockey did brilliantly to get off the horse and remain hanging in the stall. 'I have bruised my hand but only slightly. I will be back at work this week and then I am off to Cebu for a holiday,' said the popular rider, who today starts a four-day suspension for careless riding.

Starter Philip Waldron, the ex-jockey in his first season with the Jockey Club as starter, said: 'The responsibility is mine. When I saw the horse come out and then the other gates break open - without me pressing the button - I then pressed the recall alarm. They all pulled up quite quickly, apart from the three that completed the course.'

Trader Joe, Delightful Special (50-1) and Honest Dragon (99-1) were the three horses who completed the circuit. The Jockey Club is understood to have had to repay $26 million in refunds on all bets involving the trio.