A spreadsheet has been blamed for a state’s premier horse race being “catastrophically” run over an incorrect distance with starting barriers in the wrong position.
Eyebrows were raised when Blonde Star won the $250,000 annual 2400m Hobart Cup at Elwick Racecourse in February in a record time of two minutes and 29.67 seconds.
An investigation by Tasmania’s Racing Integrity Commissioner has revealed a host of failings that resulted in the barriers being placed 37.71m forward of the correct position.
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Track operations staff relied on an incorrect spreadsheet when marking the starting barriers, the report found.
In late 2025, two staff with significant knowledge and expertise in track operations and the placement of starting barriers at the venue resigned from their positions.
The pair had been aware of an error in barrier-marking instructions in a spreadsheet, but failed to pass on the intel to new staff during a handover.
In the lead-up to the race, an assistant starter and barrier attendants had a chat, believing the barriers were too far forward.
Five minutes before the scheduled start, the starter called a former track operations staffer who was in the crowd, who confirmed the starting barriers were misplaced.
The starter then called the chief steward, advising of the potential error. The chief steward, who could have delayed the race, advised it would proceed.
No one involved informed the state’s racing authority, Tasracing, about a potential error.
There was enough time for the chief steward to have told people including trainers, owners, jockeys, betting agencies, the race broadcaster and members of the public, the report found.
There was also a lack of public communication about the potential issue after the race, which “compounded the problem and undermined public confidence”.
Tasracing has said the result of the race will stand, however the record time has been retracted.
The race was run over 2362.29m, Tasracing said in a statement.
The Tasmanian Racing Club, which manages the track in question, said it supported the nine recommendations made by the commission.
“As we said at the time that this situation became known, it was a catastrophic mistake and should never have occurred,” racing club CEO Brendan Blomeley said.
The commission’s recommendations include improvements to technical and role-specific induction, ongoing training, performance review and handover.
Tasracing is reviewing and improving its race-day systems and procedures, with a greater focus on supporting staff to deliver their roles effectively.
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