Six of the 10 runners in the group 1 feature – including four prepared by Ballarat trainer Emma Stewart – were scratched before the race after stewards cracked down on a make of sulky that was deemed unfit for racing in Australia.

COMMENT: Sports Editor David Brehaut has his say on the Pacing Cup debacle.

Stewards announced the dramatic turn of events at 8.53pm – 39 minutes before the running of the Cup – stunning the crowd and industry participants on course.

Stewart left the track immediately, with stable staff leading acceptors Guaranteed, Philadelphia Man, Restrepo and Beauty Secret, as well as Mister Onetwo, who was engaged in a later race, from the stabling area.

Avenel trainer David Aiken also withdrew two horses, which left just four runners for the $100,000 affair, eventually won by Im Corzin Terror.

BDTC chief executive Paul Rowse said the club was looking for ways to make it up to patrons who attended the meeting.

He said early discussions had centred around the club’s next meeting on Boxing Day.

“We were pretty disappointed for the people that were good enough to come to the club (on Saturday night) and we are looking at getting them back in the good books,” he said.

He said it was an unfortunate set of circumstances over which the club had no control. 

He said the club accepted Harness Racing Victoria’s apologies and that the two parties would continue to work together to help get Ballarat “back on the map”.

Before leaving the track on Saturday night, Stewart paused long enough to slam the industry in which she has risen to the top over the past decade. “This is beyond a joke. This is why Victoria is so far behind the rest of Australia,” she said.

Stewards informed all trainers at the meeting that a model of UFO-branded sulkies was no longer permitted to be used in races after they were declared by Harness Racing Australia to be too wide. 

Inspections began at the start of the night. While some trainers chose to switch sulkies, Stewart and Aiken were not prepared to race their horses in unfamiliar carts.

Aiken also scratched Cold Sister from the group 1 $50,000 VL Dullard Trotters’ Cup – two races before the Ballarat Pacing Cup – on the same grounds.

Stewart said she had only been informed of the sulky issue after arriving on track.

“It’s extremely disappointing,” she said.

She said she had won the last race at Melton on Friday night with Delight Me with one of the sulkies at the centre of the controversy and had been using them for six months.

HRV chairman of stewards Neal Conder issued a statement late on Saturday night, detailing his disappointment with the events.

“It is obviously extremely disappointing for patrons and punters, trainers, drivers, the club, owners, sponsors and everyone in the industry,” the statement read.

“However, we are bound by Harness Racing Australia specifications and it is our job to ensure that our participants adhere to those standards.”

Conder said he was surprised an experienced sulky manufacturer such as UFO would make equipment outside HRA specifications, and that the circumstances were completely outside the control of the BDTC.

david.brehaut@fairfaxmedia.com.au

tim.oconnor@fairfaxmedia.com.au