Penalty likely for scratchings

Press, 23 February 1987, Page 28

Penalty likely for scratchings

By

G. K. Yule

Where a horse making the final payment for the Lion Brown InterDominion Championship series is scratched without an acceptable reason, it might not be allowed to race in Australia or New Zealand for at least eight weeks from next Saturday. This condition is unlikely to be invoked provided such a scratching is made before 2 p.m. today when the programme committee of the Metropolitan Club draws up the heats for the pacing and trotting sections and withdrawals close for the supporting events on the first night of the meeting. Any scratching made

before 2 p.m. today will allow a horse to re-enter the field, while those listed as emergencies for the heats will be eligible to accept for supporting events on the programme. Once the fields are drawn up today any horse scratched from the championship events will be ineligible to compete in any event at any meeting between the first and last nights of the carnival unless permission is granted by the stipendiary steward in charge of the Addington carnival. The eight-week ban on racing has from time to time been imposed when a horse has been scratched from a heat during the course of the series.