Harvey Smith blasts handicapper over Auroras Encore treatment
Connections of Auroras Encore believes stringent handicapping led to the Grand National winner's defeat at Ayr.
Last Updated: 22/04/13 8:50am
The Sue Smith-trained 11-year-old was raised 11lb in his quest to claim the Scottish Grand National at the weekend, but was pulled up five fences from home after being hampered early on.
"Being hampered is a hazard of the race," Harvey Smith, the Bingley handler's husband, told the Daily Mail.
"He got in the right position to go and win but weight stops trains. He ran a hell of a race until the weight got to him. The handicapper stopped him.
"Where they are going wrong is that they forget these horses are the stars. To stop them going on a racecourse is wrong.
"There were record crowds at Ayr and we had to take the horse, otherwise we would have let the general public down.
"The handicapper saw what he has done to him on Saturday. They have to come up with a completely new system as the current one is not working."
Harvey Smith has still not ruled out the possibility of Auroras Encore, who ran at Market Rasen and Perth last summer, running again in the coming months.
He said: "I'm not saying we are not going to run him again but we are not going to punish the horse.
"If he can go to a race meeting with a chance, fair enough. But if you keep sending a boxer into the ring and he keeps getting a good hiding, it is not long before he says he doesn't want to go in there."