'It's an embarrassment, there is no consistency' - Peter Scudamore slams spate of false starts at Cheltenham

Peter Scudamore has called the spate of false starts which disrupted the second day of the Cheltenham Festival 'an embarrassment', after seven jockeys were hit with suspensions.

Scudamore is the partner of trainer Lucinda Russell, whose runner Primoz effectively lost his chance after a messy start to Wednesday's Grand Annual, which was won by Jazzy Matty.

In a Facebook post, Scudamore wrote: "Cheltenham is fantastic but there are problems. The starts are an embarrassment and taking the punters for granted. 

"The attitude of the stewards is to sweep the dirt under the carpet and fine the jockey, it is not solving the problem. There is no consistency, some times the horses are let go moving forward then another time they are stopped. It is not possible to stop some of these moving horses."

Among the seven jockeys to receive a suspension was Keith Donoghue, who was given a one-day ban for misconduct at the start of the Glenfarclas Cross Country Chase – a race he ended up winning by seven lengths on Stumptown. 

When asked for his thoughts on the starts this week, Donoghue said: "I fully understand how tough the starter's job is this week, but there just seems to be a lack of communication. Sometimes he lets us go and sometimes he doesn't. It's just very hard to know what's going to happen. 

"The starts are very different in Ireland. The communication seems better but, as I said, it's not an easy job and I appreciate how hard it is."

Donoghue on Stumptown, Sean Flanagan on Vanillier and JJ Slevin on Busselton were given bans because the starter reported that they had not approached the tape at a walk or jig-jog thereby causing a false start. 

Donoghue and Flanagan were suspended for a single day, but Slevin got two days as it was his second offence within the last 12 months. 

Jazzy Matty: won the Grand Annual after another false startCredit: John Grossick

Flanagan almost took the wrong course in the race after the third fence, but he escaped without punishment and was just reminded of his obligations to familiarise himself with the course layout.

Primoz and Western Zephyr were the most badly affected by the false start in the Grand Annual, as it took their jockeys almost half a furlong to pull up. 

The starter reported that Jordan Gainford, Danny McMenamin, Conor Stone-Walsh, Darragh O’Keeffe and Derek Fox had not approached the tape at a walk or jig-jog thereby causing a false start. 

Four of them were hit with one-day bans, but Stone-Walsh escaped a suspension as the stewards accepted his explanation that his mount, The King Of Prs, had locked on and, despite his best efforts, was difficult to restrain from charging the tape.

Before the day began, all jockeys were reminded of their responsibility with regard to the start at the daily jockeys briefing, but the BHA was not willing to comment on the issue of the starts midway through the festival and will instead wait until the meeting draws to a close.

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