A GROUP of racehorse owners are at odds with York Racecourse after their horse broke a leg and was put down on Knavesmire on Sunday.

Style Princess, trained at Warthill by Declan Carroll and owned by London-based syndicate Murphy's Victoms, broke the leg close to the line when finishing fifth in the sixth race, the DRS For Sony Maiden Auction Stakes over six furlongs. Momentum took the sprinter over the line but the horse had to be put down on the course.

Tommy Campbell, a member of the syndicate, said that they are "really angry" with the racecourse over conditions and that they were not shown any consideration after the tragedy.

"In the previous race Paul Hanagan stumbled near the line on his mount Doric," he explained. "The hole was filled in, but before the sixth race Fran Ferris, our jockey on Style Princess, said the ground was atrocious and he would race the horse down the middle.

"But Style Princess tired near the finish and veered into the same line that Hanagan had gone in the previous race and our horse put a foot in the repaired hole and broke a leg.

"It was an accident waiting to happen. The ground wasn't suitable and the racing should not have been held. I am waiting to look at a UK Racing video of the coverage, but we are considering the possibility of taking the matter further with York Racecourse.

"No one from the racecourse came up to us afterwards and that's no way to treat owners," he added. "Style Princess was our first racehorse and some of the syndicate members came up to York for our first day at the races."

Campbell's complaints about conditions for racing and lack of consideration were backed up by the trainer, who said that he was in the car park and setting off for home by the time William Derby, the racecourse chief executive and clerk of the course, spoke to him on the phone.

"Owners are the backbone of racing and they should be looked after, but there was no consideration by the racecourse," said Carroll. "No one made contact with Mr Campbell after the tragedy."

Derby said he was with Carroll on the course where the horse was as the trainer was required to sign a consent form for the horse to be put down. Carroll then had to rush away as he had a horse in the final race and Derby said at that moment his own priority was to stay with the horse.

He tried as soon as possible afterwards to contact the trainer by phone to offer sympathy and to try to contact the partnership, but without success. Half an hour later he did reach the trainer on the phone and expressed his sympathy for the tragedy.

"I asked how I could contact the partnership and he said that they were there with him. I offered to speak on the phone to them but was told that it wasn't an appropriate time."

Derby added that he was writing a letter of sincere sympathy to Carroll which he hoped the trainer would pass on to the syndicate.

Updated: 11:24 Thursday, September 08, 2005