Trial and error at Lingfield

A blunder by stewards resulted in a horse winning at Lingfield yesterday when it should have been withdrawn. Northern Trial won after the stewards ordered the horse's visor to be removed at the start - an action stewards' secretary Terence Brennan later admitted was incorrect. Rules state the horse should have been withdrawn.

The farce began when Weatherbys failed to inform either the press or the track that trainer Karl Burke had declared Northern Trial to run in a visor. The matter has been referred to the Jockey Club.

Reg Hollinshead was fined pounds 500 by the Jockey Club for running the wrong horse at Southwell last month. Instead of saddling his four-year-old Taniyar for a race he mistakenly ran stablemate Loch Style, who had been due to run later on the same card.