ONE of the most bizarre races ever staged took place at Kempton Park when a racehorse took on a Greyhound over two furlongs.

The Sunbury-on-Thames track was the venue for Wednesday night's unique race, set up to discover which beast was fastest - the Andrew Balding-trained horse Tiny Tim, or Reading-based Brett Capaldi's Simply Fabulous.

Both animals were in good form leading up to the contest.

Tiny Tim, a six-year-old gelding, was a winner at Brighton on May 4 and a runner-up in his last two starts.

Simply Fabulous, an eight-year-old black dog, is a winner of 14 races from 35 starts and is a former Racing Post derby champion.

Both owners were confident ahead of the race - and indulged in some harmless banter.

Balding said: "Tiny's at the top of his game, being placed in all bar two of his last 10 starts, and it's going to be no contest really.

"We'll take two strides to every one of the hound's and it's going to be the easiest success old Tiny has ever had.

"It's the perfect opportunity to prove that racehorses are faster than greyhounds."

Capaldi retaliated: "The only way that overgrown nag is going to finish in front of my dog is if he gets a lift in a horsebox."

Both animals were led to the traps for the 6pm race as spectators, keen to witness this unusual race, gathered.

And, in an exciting dash on grass over the 440 yards, it was Simply Fabulous that streaked away and proved the quicker, coming home by a good margin.

Afterwards, Balding said: "Obviously, Tiny Tim is used to running further, so the greyhound should have been at an advantage.

"The conditions were slightly different than normal for Tiny, and two furlongs wasn't long enough for him to build up to top speed.

"We put a pair of blinkers on him to sharpen him up and to ensure he wasn't put off by his feisty miniature rival running alongside."

Capaldi crowed: "Simply Fabulous is in the form of his life. This greyhound was born to be a champion.

"Despite the fact he's claiming his pension now, he is more than a match for any long-legged predator, as we all saw.

"The race conditions were ideal for us because the greyhound has an early explosive speed."

Explaining the origins of the race, Balding, who runs the renowned Park House Stables in Kingsclere, said: "The two great derby races for each animal - the Vodafone Derby at Epsom, and William Hill Greyhound Derby at Wimbledon - are taking place on Saturday.

"So both the sponsors thought it would be an interesting novelty to stage this race.

"We aren't raising money for charity or anything like that - it was all just a bit of fun and a novelty occasion to see which animal was quicker."

Tiny Tim next races on Sunday at Brighton, but today, one year on from his Oaks victory with Casual Look, Balding is focused on his five horses racing at tomorrow's Vodafone Derby meeting.

They are: Royal Warrant in the 2pm Class C Stake Handicap; Passing Glance and Vanderlin in the Class A group three Diomed Stakes at 3pm; Palawan at 3.30pm in the Dash Stakes Heritage Handicap Class B; and Anticipating in the 5.05pm Rated Stakes Handicap Class B race.

Balding is not represented in this year's two Epsom classics, the Oaks later today and the Derby tomorrow.