Jockeys Mistake Finish of Horse Race

A number of courses have, or used to have multiple finishing posts.
Notably Longchamp Paris France.  Every now and then a jockey, usually and
apprentice, races to the wrong post.

However, on New Year’s Eve, in the 2:25 at Tramore the race was unusual in
that all 14 Jockeys mistook the
finishing post.  One jockey got it into his head that they only needed to
make two circuits of the tricky Tramore course and not three, and so rode a finish,
the others copied him.

After much shouting and gesticulating, five jockeys rousted their mounts for
the second circuit.  The favourite Mr Aussie eventually won the Newtown
Handicap Steeplechase.  His jockey, Andrew J McNamara was amongst only 5 riders
not to suffer a suspension as a result of the farce, I guess it’s hard to punish
the jockey who won the race.  All the 9 jockeys who rode a finish on the
second circuit then pulled up were suspended for 5 days.

To add to the confusion the official judge called the top weight Boher Storm
the winner before Mr Aussie went around again and truly won the race.

While they have been racing at Tramore, Near Wexford in Ireland for over 200
years, the course is only a one mile oval. Moreover, some of the cambers are
steeper than Epsom, thus the tightness of the track is one reason why a jockey
just might miscount the number of circuits.