STOP-RACE FLAG AT HUNTINGDON AS BELLAMY INCIDENT IS REFERRED TO BHA

The final race at Huntingdon on Tuesday was declared void after officials raised the stop-race flag mid-contest, fearing a collision when the withdrawn Blues Singer was ridden back along the track towards the oncoming field. The stewards have sent a report to the British Horseracing Authority, and no penalties have been issued so far.

The Alan King-trained Blues Singer, partnered by Tom Bellamy, had been withdrawn at the start of the PricedUp Bet Handicap Hurdle after proving unruly and refusing to line up. The race went ahead without him, but as the runners came round, Bellamy was unable to steer his mount away to the right and instead turned left, taking him against the direction of the race.

A SPLIT-SECOND CALL

Chief steward Tony McGlone said officials could not be sure Bellamy had control of the horse once it reached the hurdle bypass area at speed. He told the Racing Post:

"We could see the horse galloping quite quickly against the flow of the runners."

Clerk of the course Kelly O'Boyle made the decision to halt the race with the field around halfway through its final circuit. McGlone explained that the head groundsman, who follows the runners in a vehicle carrying the stop-race flag, could not get ahead of them any sooner, and he accepted that by the time the field was pulled up, Blues Singer had already reached the chute and was out of harm's way.

The chief steward suggested Bellamy may not have broken a rule in a technical sense, but felt the rider should have taken the horse off the track instead. Speaking to Sporting Life, he said any risk of runners meeting head-on calls for "a safety first approach".

WHAT HAPPENS NEXT

The official stewards' report records that the clerk of the course, general manager, head groundsman, starters and all the riders in the race were interviewed before the matter was passed to the BHA's head office for further consideration. Whether any action will follow has not yet been confirmed.

It was not Huntingdon's only inquiry of the afternoon. According to the Racing Post, stewards also examined the auction that followed the earlier selling handicap hurdle, won by 9-2 chance Westerton, amid reports that bidding had opened below the required minimum. That case has also been referred to the BHA.

Bellamy, a Cheltenham Festival-winning rider, was not penalised on the day. Racing Daily will report on the outcome of the BHA's review of both incidents once it is known.