Coolmore gun three-year-olds Albert Einstein and Gstaad will have to pay a late entry to get back into the first classic of the English season after they were withdrawn by mistake by Aidan O’Brien’s Ballydoyle operation on Tuesday.
The pair were considered the best hopes of Coolmore, and O’Brien was left to explain what happened in his office to the Racing Post.
“There was a blip on the computer. Something happened, the computer went bananas and took out a couple of horses that weren’t meant to be taken out,” O’Brien said.
“The people here in the office were trying to take the horses out of the Dante, but the Guineas flashed up instead and the button was pressed. They were pressing for the Dante, but as they were pressing, the Guineas flashed up.”
The Dante is one of the major lead-ups to the English Derby, in Australian terms it would be like one of Melbourne Cup favourites being mistakenly take out of the race in October.
The British Horseracing Authority said the withdrawals were final.
“Following the scratchings earlier today of Gstaad and Albert Einstein from the Betfred 2,000 Guineas, trainer Aidan O’Brien contacted the BHA to explain that this had happened in error,” a spokesman said.
“Such scratchings are immediately communicated to the media and betting markets. This is a policy that is applied consistently across all races in Britain and to all connections and, while we understand that this will be a frustrating outcome for all concerned, it is for this reason that the horses in question cannot be reinstated after the event.”
“Should connections wish for either horse to compete in the Betfred 2,000 Guineas, a supplementary entry can be made following the process outlined in the race conditions.”
Gstaad, the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf winner and a Royal Ascot winner, is still an $8 chance for the Guineas, while boom colt Albert Einstein is out to $21 after being beaten at The Curragh on the weekend. They will continue on a Guineas preparations and will become a late entry or supplement, as it is known in England.
“I don’t think the BHA will allow them back in, so we’ll supplement them come the time if that’s what the lads decide to do,” O’Brien said.
“What has happened won’t affect what we’ll be doing. They will stay on their programmes. At the moment, it looks like we’re going to train Albert for the Guineas, and that has also been the plan for Gstaad. I’d imagine the lads will supplement them if we decide that’s the thing to do.”
