Wetherby racecourse has been criticised for failing to operate at the correct distances for as many as five years.

It has been discovered that one race, the Charlie Hall Chase, had been staged 78 yards too short, while four of the 10 distances at the course were found to be inaccurate.

BHA director of raceday operations and regulation Jamie Stier is quoted by BBC Sport as saying: "It is unacceptable that the hurdle and chase courses at Wetherby have, for some time, been operating over incorrect distances in some instances.

"Accuracy of information is crucial to both punters and licensed persons and it is for this reason that back in October, BHA made it a requirement for the effect of any running rail movements on race distances to be published alongside going reports."

It is believed that the errors were initially made in November 2009 when the course underwent numerous alterations.