Was it worth it? Qualification rules scupper Lingfield walkover's follow-up bid

Nick Littmoden’s plan to run Lingfield walkover Greybychoice at Wolverhampton on Monday night has been scuppered, with the three-year-old ineligible to line up, it has emerged.

Greybychoice was cantered across the line by Eoin Walsh at Lingfield on Saturday after trainers – except for Littmoden, who said he would donate his share of the winner's prize-money to the Injured Jockeys Fund – boycotted two races at the course, with many unhappy at the level of prize-money at Arena Racing Company-owned tracks.

However, by 'winning' on his third start, it has now been picked up that Greybychoice is ineligible to run as scheduled in the 6f novice contest at Wolverhampton on Monday under a 7lb penalty accrued for his walkover. He was declared a non-runner on Monday morning.

Nick Littmoden: trainer had planned to turn Greybychoice out again quickly

Joe Rendall, media and communications executive at the BHA, clarified the situation and said: “The reason Greybychoice is not qualified is because, for three-year-old novice races, you cannot have had three runs and won a race.

“Courtesy of Saturday the horse has technically both won a race and had three runs, and as such is not qualified.

"The horse could have easily been a non-runner for Saturday at any time up until Saturday afternoon, in which case he'd still have been qualified for today. When he was declared for Monday, he still hadn’t 'run' on Saturday."

He added: "We have checks each day to ensure that those horses participating that afternoon are still eligible and this one was picked up this morning."

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