Racing: Bookies reel as punters help themselves to Tart

A double helping of Tart meant bookmakers were making a big pay- out after two horses with the same name won yesterday. Many punters had linked both in double bets.

Tart (FR), a French-bred filly trained by James Fanshawe, took the opening race at Yarmouth at odds of 15-8.

Later, her namesake (minus the suffix), was an 11-2 winner of the last race at Sandown. This filly is trained by Fulke Johnson Houghton,

"On occasions like this a lot of punters will have done a double on the two Tarts which pays more than 17-1," Ladbrokes' spokesman Simon Clare said. "There are always people backing horses with names they like and this one was short and sweet so a lot will have backed them." Those who backed Tart in a single, without specifying a venue, will be paid out on the longer-priced one, Clare added.

But the star turn at Sandown yesterday was Fiji, who was part of an 11- 1 hat-trick for jockey Pat Eddery. The filly recorded a length-and-three- quarter victory and earned quotes of 16-1 and 25-1 for next year's Oaks from William Hill and Ladbrokes.

Fiji added to Henry Cecil's strong team of juvenile fillies which already boasts Reams Of Verse and Fleet River. Sleepytime, reportedly the best of them, makes her debut at Sandown today.