The 2026 Hobart Cup was run 37 metres short after track staff relied on a faulty Tasracing spreadsheet that had contained incorrect measurements since at least 2021, an investigation has found.
Tasmanian Racing Integrity Commissioner Sean Carroll released his findings today, three months after the Group 3 race was run at Elwick Racecourse on February 8.
The race, won by the Imogen Miller-trained mare Blonde Star, was initially declared a record at 2 minutes 29.67 seconds.
That record was later retracted.
Carroll found the starting barriers were placed 37.71 metres forward of the correct position.
Track staff had used a spreadsheet that was wrong, but they did not know it.
Former staff had been aware of the errors and worked around them for years.
They never updated the document or flagged it to management before resigning in late 2025.
The new staff were not told during the handover.
The starter and barrier attendants spotted the problem after race 8.
At 4:42pm, three minutes before the scheduled start, the starter rang the chief steward to warn him.
The chief steward decided to proceed anyway.
Under the Australian Rules of Racing he was entitled to do so, but Carroll said he should have alerted Tasracing executives, trainers, owners, jockeys, the Tasmanian Racing Club, wagering service providers, the broadcaster and the public.
Nobody was told before or after the race.
Tasracing’s chief executive was not informed until around 6:30pm.
No public statement was made and the original stewards’ report omitted the issue entirely.
“I acknowledge the significant public and industry interest in the 2026 Hobart Cup, and the outcomes of this investigation,” Carroll said.
“The Hobart Cup is the centrepiece event on the Tasmanian summer racing calendar,” he said.
Carroll found no breach of conduct, employment or policy by any individual. The failures were systemic.
He made nine recommendations, including a public media release confirming the corrected result, a new records management policy, race day and stewards’ manuals and a formal off-boarding process for departing staff.
Tasracing must now report back on how it will implement the changes.
