PUNTERS were left bewildered at Southwell yesterday when an embarrassing mix-up resulted in the wrong horse competing in a race. In a case of mistaken identity a horse called Loch Style, trained by Reg Hollinshead, ran in the name of Taniyar in the Waterford Median Auction Stakes.

Loch Style had been entered to run later at the meeting but he was saddled up and sent out for the earlier race instead of stable-mate Taniyar.

Hollinshead, a trainer for more than 40 years, did not realise a mistake had been made until the horse was taken into the unsaddling enclosure after the race.

"I can only apologise to the people who have had a few quid on. This was just an unfortunate error and has never happened to me before," he said.

Loch Style, sent off at 5 to 2 for the race, was in midfield for much of the way before fading and finishing seventh beaten more than 40 lengths.

Angry punter Philip Marshall had £700 on the horse he thought was Taniyar. "This is an absolute disgace and I would never have backed the horse if I'd known it was the other one. He would have been a 33 to 1 at least if we'd known it was Loch Style," he said.

All the leading bookmakers Coral, Hill and Ladbrokes - said they would be treating the horse as a non-runner. "There was no abnormal betting patterns and most of the money was for the favourite Yougo," said Ladbrokes' representative Tom Munt.

The stewards at Southwell had no power to take action against Hollinshead and have referred the matter to Port man Square. "The trainer was very honest and came and told us what had happened," said stewards' secretary William Nunneley.

Hollinshead, 72, and two of his staff had become confused because Taniyar and Loch Style are similar in appearance. "They are both bay geldings and of a similar size and shape. I'm afraid the three of us did not realise we had saddled the wrong horse," he said.

"The penny didn't drop even when he ran badly. The jockey Ray Cochrane told me the horse wouldn't have stayed one mile in a horsebox. But I didn't know there was anything wrong until my apprentice Feargal Lynch noticed the horse afterwards in the stable yard and said "look the wrong horse has run."