‘Well done, Henry,’ I shouted across to the boy. ‘What a great victory.’

He came bounding over to me before his grandfather could stop him.

‘Wasn’t it brilliant?’ young Henry said with another wide smile. ‘And Granddad says that I’m the one going to be presented with the trophy.’

He was understandably excited by the prospect, but his excitement was premature.

Over the public address system came the familiar three-tone signal indicating that there was to be a stewards’ enquiry.

‘Uh-oh,’ I said. ‘There could be a problem.’

‘What problem?’ asked young Henry.

‘That sound means there’s going to be a stewards’ enquiry,’ I said, and it was quickly confirmed over the loudspeakers, with a warning that all betting slips should be retained.

‘What’s it for?’ Henry asked me.

‘I don’t know,’ I said. ‘Everything appeared to be in order to me.’

Simon Paulson hurried out of the unsaddling enclosure towards the weighing room building, with the Stewards’ Room within.

‘Looks a bit sus to me,’ Henry said.

‘Sus?’

‘Suspicious.’

It certainly is, I thought.

The first three horses past the post were led away, while their connections stood around waiting for the outcome.

Eventually, the three-tone signal was again played over the speakers and everyone went quiet to listen.

‘Here is the result of the stewards’ enquiry,’ came the announcement. ‘Ricardian, first past the post, has been disqualified following an objection from the Clerk of the Scales, after the jockey weighed in two pounds lighter than he weighed out.’

There was a collective groan from all those who had previously cheered Ricardian home, their ‘winning’ betting slips having suddenly become totally worthless. And young Henry Payne was also distraught and close to tears.

I, meanwhile, thought it was even more sus, as young Henry would have said.

I watched as Harry Asquith led his family out of the unsaddling enclosure, empty-handed, back to the owners and trainers’ suite.

Chico came and joined me.

‘What was all that about?’ he asked.

‘I’m not totally sure, but I suspect that Simon Paulson made sure Ricardian couldn’t win even if Jimmy wanted him to.’

‘How?’

‘According to the racecard, the horse should have carried 153 pounds, and that was what would have been weighed out. But Jimmy must have only weighed in at 151. And the allowable leeway is only a pound light, not two.’

‘But how could that happen?’

‘Paulson may have removed some lead from the weight cloth, or maybe he didn’t put the weight cloth on the horse at all. It happens occasionally by accident but, in this case, I reckon it was intentional.’

‘But won’t he be in trouble?’

‘He certainly will. He’ll be fined by the BHA, but maybe that will be less trouble for him than he’d be in with Valance if the horse had won.’

‘Unbelievable.’

It certainly was, and a major fraud on the betting public.

CHAPTER

33