Spray paint jobs to help fans spot Shergar cup runners

Think tank says horses spray painted like cars will help racegoers struggling to identify Shergar Cup runners

Different coloured horses will help racing fans who struggle to identify their runners in the Shergar Cup meeting.

Amid confusion surrounding the coloured silks at Acsot's Shergar Cup meeting, a think tank AISRI (the Australian Institute for Stupid Racing Ideas) has come up with a novel way to solve the problem.

Shane Bibbler, Chief Technology Officer said: “American racing fans know the saddle cloths are red for number 1, white = 2, blue = 3 etc.

"We propose to go a step further - colouring the horses in completely with a washable paint - so blue and orange horses will streak across the track.

"We might coat the jockeys with a permanent varnish too. Or Creosote."

Runners can be coloured in by walking through a mobile ‘paint portal’, set up by the pre-parade ring.

With big fields always guaranteed on the summer novelty race day, it is estimated it will take 4 million litres of paint to complete the meeting.

However, a trial at Chelmsford did not escape without teething problems.

Bibbler said: “Some of the horses bolted down to the start half-painted, some kicked the paint shop over.

“Then it started raining. Torrential storms - so it washed the paint off.”

“We were more confused than we were in the first place.”

But others were more optimistic about the move. Horse, Gareth Timms said: "I've always wanted to go to one of the nude body paint parties that humans are always going on about. So this is great news! Better make sure I shave my armpits!"