Incorrect posted finish results in multiple superfecta payouts

This article was updated at 9:30 a.m. on Saturday, July 2, 2016

The New York Racing Association placing judges posted an incorrect fourth-place finisher in the eighth race at Belmont Park on Friday.

Akatea (No. 1, $3.40) won race 8. There was a dead heat for second between Now Power (4) and Jc's Shooting Star (5). The correct fourth-place finisher, according to Martin Panza, senior vice president of racing operations at NYRA, was Coming Attraction (2), but the race was made official with Paige (3) incorrectly posted in his place.

According to Jimmy Edwards, the steward representing the Jockey Club at Belmont, it is the responsibility of the placing judges to determine the correct order of finish in a race and to post the results. The stewards then make the race official.

"We asked the placing judges in the clearest language possible if the number 3 had finished fourth or if it was the 2," Edwards said. "We were told the number 3 finished fourth and made the race official. Several minutes later we were told a mistake had been made."

A decision was made to pay out on all four superfecta combinations, the two that were correct - 1-4-5-2 and 1-5-4-2 - and the two that were incorrect - 1-4-5-3 and 1-5-4-3.

The incorrect 10-cent superfecta payoffs that were made official with Paige (3) in the fourth slot remain as originally posted: 1-4-5-3 ($6.90) and 1-5-4-3 ($6.92).

Nearly two hours after the race, NYRA sent an email to wagering outlets announcing that the correct 10-cent superfectas are 1-4-5-2 ($5.70) and 1-5-4-2 ($5.85). NYRA took a financial loss by making these payouts.

"The No. 2 was originally posted as the fourth-place finisher for several minutes when the race was unofficial," Panza said. "But when the race was made official, the number 3 was incorrectly put up. We are going to have an investigation into how this happened and check our protocols, and change them as needed, so this does not happen again."

** An earlier version of this article stated that the stewards had posted the incorrect order of finish.