Changes are simply essential now the horse has bolted in

If there is any good news to emerge from the Yarmouth fiasco it is that it should not be difficult to avoid a repeat of the ludicrous incident that saw a three-year-old run as a two-year-old in the wrong race and win it at 50-1.

A cynic might say that any changes to procedures would be a case of closing the stable door after the wrong horse has bolted, but unless amendments are made there will always be a risk of a similar mix-up to the one that made racing such a laughing stock on Thursday.

As things stand horses are scanned when they first arrive at a racecourse but not when they are saddled up and ready to race. Clearly that needs to change.

Almost as concerning as the incident itself is the subsequent revelation that the mix-up might not even have come to light because winning horses are not tested and scanned post-race as a matter of routine.

The majority are, but if Millie's Kiss, under the guise of Mandarin Princess, had been one of those who hadn't had her identity verified after her victory this shambles could have gone undetected.

Clearly the BHA needs to act fast to ensure every runner is scanned after it has been saddled. It then needs to review all raceday procedures to ensure there are no other banana skins lurking, because racing's reputation suffers considerable damage from farces like this.

And nor should bookmakers be expected to keep clearing up these messes by making goodwill payments to punters who would otherwise be left to ask themselves why they bet on a sport that is capable of such mayhemic disorganisation.

Had bookmakers chosen to play strictly by the rules and not pay out on the 4-6 runner-up as a winner as well as the actual 50-1 winner there would have been serious questions asked about whether the race should have been voided.

Because, regardless of whether or not they had weighed in, it is impossible to deny there is something distinctly perverse about a race being voided because one of the stalls opens a split-second before the others but not when a three-year-old runs in a two-year-old race and wins it at 50-1.

If you are interested in this, you might like:

Mix-up drama as wrong horse wins juvenile contest at 50-1

What action the bookmakers are taking . . .