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Raceday Operations and Regulation Blog
Welcome to the Raceday Operations and Regulation Blog. Here we will bring you an insight from behind the scenes into how we run racedays and ensure all goes smoothly
Raceday Operations Manager Sean McDonald's Race Starter's Q&A
14th July 2011
Former Grand National starter Sean McDonald answers some frequently asked questions about starting a horse race.
GENERAL
Q: What does the Starter do?
The Starter is there to ensure that each race begins on time and as fairly as possible, with each horse and rider given the greatest possible opportunity to perform well.
Q: Why do we use Starting Stalls on the Flat and a Tape over the Jumps?
As races are shorter on the Flat, it’s important that the participants begin in as straight a line as possible. For longer races (and that includes some long Flat races as well as all Jump races), riders often want to take up a tactical position that they believe offers their horse its best chance to perform well. For some, that might mean going out in front, whilst for others it might mean taking a lead from another horse or dropping in at the back of the field.
FLAT STARTS
Q: What goes on beforehand?
The Starter will arrive down at the Start about ten minutes before the scheduled off time for the race. They will test the Stalls, and brief the Stalls Handlers on any horses that are likely to need special treatment. This might mean using a blindfold on a horse, or putting it into the Stalls late on in the loading process.
Q: And once the horses arrive at the Start?
The Stalls Handlers will check each of the horses’ girths to make sure that the saddle won’t slip during the race. When it’s time for the load to begin, the Starter calls out the draw, the horses go behind the Stalls, and the Stalls Handlers – under direction from the Starter – will begin to load them. The normal loading procedure is for horses drawn in the odd numbered stalls to go in first, followed by those drawn in the even numbered stalls. Generally, horses that need blindfolds are loaded first, and certain horses are given special dispensation to load late, due to their past behaviour.
Q: Starting the race
Sometimes horses refuse to enter the stalls and will be withdrawn from the race. Horses can also be withdrawn from the race if they become fractious or unruly in the stalls. The Starter will always have horses’ welfare in mind and if a horse has been unruly in the stalls it may have an injury that is not readily apparent. In these cases the horse will be withdrawn as it is not possible to have a full clinical assessment at the start. In all such instances , the Starter will officially withdraw the horse involved and an announcement will be made over the public address system.
Once the Starter is satisfied that all horses and riders are ready, he will alert the riders and press the button on his rostrum to open the stalls and start the race.
Some horses are loaded with blindfolds and it is the responsibility of riders to remove them before the race is started. In starting the race the starter also activates the official timing system, which enables the Judge to record the time taken for each horse to complete the race.
JUMP STARTS
Q: What goes on beforehand?
As with the Flat, the Starter will arrive down at the Start about ten minutes before the scheduled off time for the race – this time to test the Starting Gate.
Q: And once the horses arrive at the Start?
As there are no Stalls Handlers over the jumps, the Starter and his Assistant(s) will check the horses’ girths themselves, before informing the jockeys when there’s half a minute to go before the off. They can pull their goggles down and prepare themselves for racing. During this time, the horses will be circling in a defined area behind the Start itself.
Q: Starting the race
Once the scheduled off time for the race has been reached the Starter will, from his rostrum and using a loudspeaker system, instruct the riders to come forward towards the Starting Gate in an orderly fashion. When he is satisfied that all of the riders are happy with the positions they have taken up, he releases the Starting Gate and the race begins. For a Starter, the perfect ‘walk in’ start comes when horses approach the tape in a tight bunch and in a controlled fashion.
Q: What’s required in terms of cooperation from the jockeys?
Obviously, a good start to a race is highly dependent on the cooperation of the riders involved. Starters expect them to take notice of any instructions that they might give, and jockeys can be suspended for any misconduct that takes place.
Q: Why do some horses appear to get a ‘flyer’ whilst others seem to be left behind?
In recognising the importance of a fair Start – both for the sport itself and for those betting on it – the Starter is looking for a tightly bunched and controlled field walking forwards towards the Starting Gate. He is not, however, in a position to interfere with the likely tactics of the participants. Sometimes, the rest of the field can be very happy to let a known front runner go on in front and set the pace of the race. Similarly, a horse that is known to want cover behind other horses might be asked to ‘drop in’ at the back of the field, seemingly off the main pace in the race. Whilst in these scenarios it can appear that horses are not starting in the optimum tight bunch, the Starter accepts that each participant is nevertheless happy with their starting position and is ready to begin the race.
Q: What does a False Start entail?
A False Start is likely to involve a mechanical malfunction of the Starting Stalls (on the Flat) or Starting Gate (over Jumps), resulting in an unfair start. In the event that a horse breaks through the tape (over Jumps), a False Start will also be called. Riders are recalled when the Advanced Flag Operator, standing down the course and in front of the oncoming horses, waves a flag and blows a whistle on instruction from the Starter. They then return to the Start and begin the race again.
Read about the other responsibilities of our Raceday Operations team
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