October
JulyGet żem in, get żem away
Surely it is time something was done about the start of races. At nearly every meeting there is at least one barrier incident and usually more .
I believe this is brought about by delays in getting the field underway.
Unlike in other jurisdictions such as the USA, the UK and Hong Kong, which admittedly has more barrier attendants, the leading-in process in Australia is slow. Then the starter, if he is not satisfied, is off his stand. Surely he can stay where he is and let someone else deal with the problem.
By the time he is back on his stand it is almost inevitable that one or more horses will have "gone off" in the barriers, necessitating vet inspections and betting deductions.
Queensland seems to be the prime offender but it happens everywhere.
The race meetings we see here from overseas don’t appear to suffer the same problems. Horses are loaded quickly and then they’re off.
Bowral (NSW)