October
NovemberNumbers up
Where are our racecourse inventors?
Why is it impossible in Australia to have starting gates with the saddlecloth numbers listed above them?
Barrier numbers over the starting stalls are useless — how many punters know exactly which barrier their runner will start from?
When there are scratchings from the original field all runners are shuffled closer to the inside running rail. Your horse’s barrier might be listed in the racebook as, say, 10 but your horse might start from barrier six. The saddlecloth numbers, meanwhile, never change.
I propose a system of electric numbers that can be altered race-to-race and appear above the runners as they get ready for dispatch — some sort of keyboard-generated system that shows exactly which stall my runner is going to start from. THAT’s the gate I know to keep my eye on.
When there’s a runner scratched at the barrier the number over the empty barrier stall could be switched off. Where are our whizkid engineers?
How hard could this be?
You want to make racing user friendly to newcomers? Here’s a start.
Geelong West (Vic)