Author: admin

Arguably the most famous, or infamous, false start in horse racing history occurred at Aintree on April 3, 1993, during what the late Sir Peter O’Sullevan called ‘the greatest disaster in the history of the Grand National’. In the midst of a demonstration by animal rights’ protesters at the first fence, the majority of the 39-strong field failed to stop after a second false start was called, seven of them completed the course and the race was, unsurprisingly, declared void.

Under less controversial circumstances, false starts are more common in National Hunt racing than Flat racing, where the majority of races commence from starting stalls. To effect the start, the starter, standing atop a platform, or rostrum, raises a flag to indicate that he or she wishes the field to move forward. Further down the course, an official known as an advanced flag operator (AFO) also raises a flag, which should be visible to all jockeys.

Provided the runners line up and move forward at a steady, moderate pace, the starter drops his or flag and simultaneously releases an elasticated tape stretched across the course to start the race. If the starter is in any way dissatifisied with the start, he or she will wave the flag, as will the AFO, to indicate that a false start has been called. Runners must pull up, return to the starting area and try again, from a standing start, again effected by flag and tape, to the satisfaction of the starter.

Aside from the commonplace win or each-way bets, horse racing offers punters a range of more complex, challenging bets, each with its own level of risk and reward. The forecast and tricast are two such bets, insofar as they require punters to select, in the case of the forecast, the winner and runner-up and, in the case of the tricast, the winner, runner-up and third-placed horse in a particular race.

In its purest from, known as a ‘straight forecast’, forecast betting requires punters to select the first and second horses home, in the correct order. The so-called ‘reversed forecast’ similarly consists of just two selections, but in either order, as long as they occupy the first two places. Thus, a reversed forecast is effectively two straight forecasts and, logically, requires double the stake of the standard bet. Likewise, the so-called ‘combination forecast’ consists of three or more selections, any two of which can fill the first two places, in either order, to produce a winning return. Obviously, extra combinations require extra stakes, so three selections require six stakes, four require twelve stakes and so on. In any case, computer straight forecast dividends, based on starting prices and quoted to a £1 stake, are declared after each race.

Not altogether surprisingly, tricast betting adds another level of complexity, but the challenging nature of the bet is reflected by a corresponding increase in the potential payout. Like a straight forecast, a ‘straight forecast’ requires just a single stake, but punters can, once again, increase their chances of a winning dividend by including four, or more, selections in a ‘combination tricast’.

The governing body of horse racing in Britain, the British Horseracing Authority (BHA) employs professional, or ‘stipendiary’, stewards, at least two of whom are in attendance at any race meeting. The job of the stipendiary stewards is to assist the raceday stewards, who are, in fact, unpaid volunteers, in the enforcement of the Rules of Racing, as laid down by the BHA.

Collectively, the stewards watch each race as it happens and afterwards review proceedings from various camera angles, including head-on and side-on, to ensure that the race was fairly run and no rules were broken. If they suspect that any rule breaches, such as interference, excessive or incorrect use of the whip or horses not being run on their merits, they will call a Stewards’ Enquiry, which is announced over the the public address system at the racecourse.

During a Stewards’ Enquiry, the stewards take evidence from the jockeys and/or trainers involved in any suspected wrongdoing and review relevant race footage in the stewards’ room. Of course, a Stewards’ Enquiry cannot commence until the jockeys involved have returned the woighing room, so there may be a delay between the initial announcement of a Stewards’ Enquiry and the announcement of its outcome.

Following a period of deliberation, in the absence of the connections involved, the stewards reach a decision, which may or may not affect the official finishing position of one or more of the horses involved. Connections are informed of the outcome, the stewards prepare a report and their decision, or decisions, are relayed to racegoers, again over the public address system.

Of course, in any horse race, regardless of its class or type, each horse must carry a specific weight, as defined by the race conditions. Thus, to ensure that horses carry the correct weight allocated to them, a racecourse official known as the Clerk of the Scales ‘weighs out’ and ‘weighs in’ jockeys before and after the race.

The ‘weighing out’ procedure involves a jockey standing, together with all the equipment he or she will carry during the race, including the saddle, on a set of digital scales before the Clerk of the Course. A horse must carry at least the weight shown on the racecard, subject to any allowances, so it may be necessary to make up any difference with thin lead weights slid into a special saddle cloth, or weight cloth. Jockeys are permitted to carry up to, but not more than, 3lb overweight, which will be announced over the public address system at the racecourse.

Once a race is over, the ‘weighing in’ procedure is essentially the same as the weighing out procedure, albeit that not all jockeys need to weigh in. The riders of horses that finish in the money do, as do any other riders randomnly selected by the Clerk of the Scales. Any jockey weighing in more than 1lb ‘light’ will be subject to an objection by the Clerk of the Scales, followed by a Stewards’ Enquiry and disqualification of the horse concerned. Likewise, a rider weighing in 2lb or more ‘heavy’ will be reported to the stewards and may be suspended.