Idol Image finished second in today’s first race at Belmont Park, but it didn’t do exacta players any good. That’s because the 3-year-old gelding, trained by Carlos Martin, ran for purse money only.

The stewards decided not to allow betting on Idol Image because he raced two days ago, finishing second in a similar $10,000 claiming race on Wednesday, but that race did not appear in his Equibase past-performance lines in either the track program or the Daily Racing Form. Both were printed in advance, before the result of that race was recorded into the Equibase system.

The decision was the right thing to do, but the timing left a lot to be desired. The “purse money only” announcement was not made until nine minutes to post for the first race, after thousands of dollars had already been bet on Idol Image. He was 2-1 at the time; all bets involving him were refunded.

Just as in Wednesday’s race, Idol Image set the pace, shook loose at the top of the stretch and looked home free, only to be run down in the final furlong.