A rather extraordinary thing happened at the Mysore races on Thursday. A race was declared null and void for betting purposes after Mandolin, a horse who had apparently been “scratched” in the bookmakers’ books, went on to beat favourite Malet Spring in a close finish in the 1200 metres Psychic Strength Plate, a race for horses rated 40 to 65.

The incident once again demonstrated that in racing, a horse can sometimes be withdrawn without actually being withdrawn. This time, however, it was not the horse who had gone missing. It was the bookmakers’ understanding of which horse had been scratched.

According to club officials, horse No. 8 was actually scratched from Friday’s programme. But the bookmakers reportedly got their wires crossed and assumed that the horse withdrawn was No. 8 in Thursday’s last race. The bookmakers who open the unofficial odds did not quote Mandolin, and the official bookmakers apparently followed suit, putting two dashes against the horse’s number to indicate that they were not betting on it.

The club tote, however, continued to accept bets on Mandolin, while some bookmakers at Mysore had also opened odds on the horse. Mandolin then did the most inconvenient thing possible: it won.

That was when the real race began.

Punters, understandably, protested loudly. Their argument was simple. If they had believed Mandolin was withdrawn, they had not been given the opportunity to back the horse. Whether the number of such punters was large or small was beside the point. A horse cannot be effectively “scratched” from the betting ring and then turn up to win the race on the track.

The club’s version is that there was no error on its part, either in racing or tote announcements. Officials said the matter would be investigated internally with the bookmakers and that one bookmaker, in particular, was already under scrutiny as the possible source of the confusion.

Perhaps a quick look at the morning odds circulated through WhatsApp groups might have solved the mystery before the first horse entered the starting gates. The absence of No. 8 from the odds should have been enough of a red flag. In racing, WhatsApp may not be an official communication channel, but it sometimes appears to know what is happening before everybody else does.

There had reportedly been a similar incident at Mumbai earlier, though that one never reached the stage of a horse running after being mistakenly treated as a non-starter. The horse was noticed when it appeared in the paddock and the matter ended there.

This time, Mandolin not only appeared in the paddock but also appeared in the winner’s enclosure.

The episode is a useful reminder that bookmakers are an integral part of the betting ecosystem and that even an innocent-looking dash against a horse’s number can have serious consequences. One hopes the authorities will now cross-check the odds circulated before racing to ensure that a bookmaker’s mistake does not once again result in a horse being declared “withdrawn” in the betting ring while remaining very much alive on the racecourse.

Masato makes it two in a row

The feature event, the 1400 metres H H Sri Chamaraja Wadiyar Memorial Trophy for horses rated 80 and above, went to the well-backed Masato from the stables of trainer S John.

The five-year-old had won at Bangalore at his previous start and was strongly supported along with Excellent Lass. Assigned to the relatively lesser-known Ryan Ahmed, Masato’s jockey showed little interest in waiting for a committee meeting in the pack. He took the favourite straight to the front.

The progeny of Dali stayed there and settled the issue rather comfortably, winning by more than three lengths. The real battle was for the minor placings, with Rise Again finishing second ahead of Excellent Lass and Tom Cruiser.

James McKeown-trained Tipped Off had made a forward impression when finishing at Hyderabad in a maiden race and was sent out a strong favourite for the 1600 metres Shimsha Plate for horses rated 20 to 45.

Supreme Success led into the straight, with Wanganui joining issue in the final furlong, while Tipped Off was still several lengths away from the action. But the McKeown trainee, who appears to possess plenty of stamina, gradually gathered momentum and came charging home.

By the time the others realised he had joined the race, the issue was effectively over. Tipped Off swept past his rivals under jockey Yash Narredu to win easily, with Wanganui taking second ahead of Supreme Success.

Rajesh Narredu-trained Unforgettable Star was backed almost to the exclusion of the rest in the 1600 metres Ranga Family Cup for horses rated 40 to 65.

The support proved fully justified. Held up early, Unforgettable Star came widest of all in the final furlong and produced a strong finish to sweep past the opposition. Glorious Strides was second, while early pace-setter Sassy held on for third.

Ruban-trained Mr Karnataka had attracted spirited betting at his previous outing only to be withdrawn at the gates. This time, however, there was considerably less enthusiasm for him in the betting ring.

Perhaps that was just what he needed.

Mr Karnataka came alive in the final furlong and, under a determined ride from Shyam Kumar, gradually wore down fancied Windbourne before getting the better of him in the closing strides to land the lower division of the Psychic Strength Plate. Red Hills was third, while favourite Dufy was sluggish at the gates and never entered serious calculations.

Aravind Ganapathy-trained Mystic Dew was backed to the exclusion of her rivals in the 1600 metres Indradhanush Plate for horses in the lowest category.

Veteran jockey Srinath kept the favourite comfortably placed around third for much of the journey before asking her to stretch in the home straight. Mystic Dew responded readily and went on to score a facile victory. Best of Us finished second, more than five lengths ahead of Purple Martini.

Long shot Pette’s Choice, trained by Vishal Yadav and ridden by A Ayaz Khan, produced the biggest surprise of the day in the 1400 metres Haveri Plate for horses rated 20 to 45.

Dear Lady had taken the measure of favourite Sheer Elegance and was beginning to look like the winner when Pette’s Choice suddenly appeared on the extreme edge of the grass track with a late flourish. The long shot kept coming and managed to put his neck in front on the line. Dear Lady had to settle for second, ahead of Sheer Elegance, while The Whispering, who had led from the start, faded in the straight to finish fourth.