Pat Comerford got the colours of two horses running at Meydan mixed up and only realised his error right on the line at the end of a 1m handicap in Dubai
A racecourse commentator has apologised for making ‘the type of blunder you never want to make’. Aussie Pat Comerford has been the resident racecaller at Meydan in Dubai since the 2023-24 season, describing every race at the track during the Dubai Carnival.
A number of British stables were represented at the 11th Carnival meeting of the season at the UAE track on Friday. They included a runner trained by Dylan Cunha, the South African former airline pilot who has set up a successful operation in Newmarket.
His latest runner Tailgunner Joe was a 28-1 outsider for a 1m handicap under jockey Bernardo Pinheiro, for which another British challenger, Carron, went off the 7-4 favourite.
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As the race unfolded in the straight backers of Carron must have thought they were in clover as Comerford spotted what he thought was the George Boughey challenger making headway along the rail under Billy Loughnane.
Yet in fact the horse in similarly pale colours was Tailgunner Joe who joined Jolly Roger near the line to snatch victory by a neck.
Describing the climax, Comerford said: “Carron is taking the short way home. It’s Jolly Roger the leader, but here comes Carron up the inside.
“Jolly Roger and Carron, Breakdancer reeling home as well in the late part. Carron is diving at Jolly Roger who goes to fight. Carron! Tailgunner Joe! My apologies, Tailgunner Joe has come over the top to win.”
Comerford later held his hands up in a post on his X account.
“I want to apologize to @dylancunha_uk and connections of Tailgunner Joe there, similar colours racing together under the lights and have made the type of blunder you never want to make and called him the wrong name the whole way down the straight,” he said.
“I’m glad I realized the last second at the line but apologies to the stable and team there, congratulations on the amazing win.”
He added: “Been a long time since that has happened.”
