Exchequer v Exchequer off after horses with same name declared for same race

The British Horseracing Authority has taken the highly unusual step of altering the fields for two races at Musselburgh on Saturday once the final declarations had been made, after it emerged that two horses called Exchequer were due to contest the last race on the card.

The fact that two horses with the same name had been entered for a seven-furlong handicap at Musselburgh seems to have escaped officials at Weatherbys, racing’s “civil service”, earlier in the week. The race was divided before the final declarations, but both Exchequers – one trained by Lucinda Russell, the other by Richard Guest – ended up in the same division at 7.15, and even in adjoining stalls.

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Several hours after the declarations, however, Russell’s four-year-old Exchequer (FR), who raced several times in France before joining the yard, was switched to the preceding division, changing the field for both races after the final declaration had been published.

Malcolm Tomlinson, who will be the racecourse commentator at Musselburgh on Saturday, had earlier suggested that the race would be “a challenge”, adding “perhaps I should do the French-bred one with a French accent.”

The switch means that racegoers will no longer enjoy the first clash between two horses with the same name on a British racecourse since 1994, when Averti (USA) raced against Averti (IRE) at Yarmouth.

The BHA suggested on Thursday evening that amending the fields for the two races on Saturday had been a sensible option to avoid confusion and the potential for problems in the off-course betting industry.

Most regular punters are familiar with the “Watch Your Bets” warning when two horses with similar names line up for the same race. It also serves as a reminder to betting-shop staff to look out for ambiguous betting slips, as some backers try to back two horses for the price of one.

While the regulator has rules in place to prevent two horses in bred and raced in Britain being given the same name, Saturday’s runners were both foaled abroad before initially finding their way into the same race on the coast of the Firth of Forth several years later.

Russell’s runner also made six starts in his native France before moving to her yard and once a horse’s name is in the form book, it is much more difficult to change it without causing confusion in future pedigrees if it is later used for breeding.

Despite his initial reservations, Tomlinson had come around to the idea of commenting on Saturday’s battle of the Exchequers before its cancellation. “To be honest with you,” he said on Thursday evening, “I’m a bit disappointed.”