Seems like flat racing has problems everywhere-----bettors lost money if they wagered on these when "While acknowledging stalls 16, 18, 19 and 20 had opened "fractionally slower" than the remainder, stewards on the day decided the chances of the four runners in those stalls were not "materially impacted" by the start and therefore took no further action."

In Hong Kong, this race would have been voided!

https://www.racingpost.com/news/festivals/derby-festival/david-evans-laments-epsom-dash-farce-as-four-of-highest-five-stalls-open-slower-than-remainder-a7zpI0Z1Oi3t/

So the auxiliary gate opened later than the main gate... wow

TexSquared said...

So the auxiliary gate opened later than the main gate... wow

Yes, we don't hear the bru ha ha over here but the punters over the pond are pretty upset about it. 

Imagine if that happened in the Kentucky Derby and screws over the horses in posts 15-20...  why it's good the aux gate is gone, one less point of failure!

[some years they use THREE 8-stall gates for the 24-horse Melbourne Cup...]

If you haven't seen it, it's at the 46 second mark of this video:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lQ0wglG-VU0

It wasn't a case of the entire aux gate being slow but just a few stalls in that gate.

https://twitter.com/i/status/1665671277812625410

Comments:
"You can literally see the horse anticipating to jump when the gates should have opened. If you listen to Kieran as he comes out of the gate, it’s all you need to know. This should have been a void race"
https://twitter.com/LJVRacingMedia/status/1665679609948413953

My point was that in Hong Kong, where there is excellent oversight, this race would have been voided. 

it doesn't matter if my naked human eye can or can't perceive "split seconds" .......in a Dash fractionals count, otherwise, lets just do away with split seconds and seconds altogether.   

Wintertrian said:

My point was that in Hong Kong, where there is excellent oversight, this race would have been voided.  it doesn't matter if my naked human eye can or can't perceive "split seconds" .......in a Dash fractionals count, otherwise, lets just do away with split seconds and seconds altogether.   

In North America, regardless of the race distance, the race would have counted but the affected horses would have either been declared non-starters or ran for purse money only.  This happens not just if the gate didn't open on time/at all but also if the assistant starter in the stall impeded the horse's escape by holding on too long.  Easily seen in the head-on replay.  Still a major malfunction that shouldn't have happened. 

You'd have thought they tested the gate just before; I know the few times I've seen the aux gate used at Woodbine (for the 17-horse Queen's/King's Plate), sometime during the pre-race stuff (horses in paddock, post parade, warmups) you'll see the gate crew close all the doors and the starter press the button just to make damn sure it works.   And I suspect the Churchill Downs crew did this for the Derby during the aux gate years [now that they have a 20-horse gate, not really needed]

TexSquared said...

You'd have thought they tested the gate just before; I know the few times I've seen the aux gate used at Woodbine (for the 17-horse Queen's/King's Plate), sometime during the pre-race stuff (horses in paddock, post parade, warmups) you'll see the gate crew close all the doors and the starter press the button just to make damn sure it works.

Yes, that seems like logical action.  

OTOH, small aircraft malfunction all the time because pilots don't do pre-flight due dilligence.  My brother is a pilot and my family thinks he is OCD but he's not.  He has a checklist.......and he goes thru it not once, but twice.   (He was a design engineer for Space Station Freedom so he just tends to be very detail-oriented).    He's one of the few people I will go up in a small 2-4 seater with though.    The engineering mind .....his wife has someone who is gonna put her car thru a 10 point check any time she has to drive far on a trip.   People think that's over-killl...........guess what?   IT'S NOT.  :)   Her battery is not going to go dead in extreme cold or heat, her tire pressure will be correct, her brakes will work, and her windshields WILL be clean.    He taught me:  safety first. 

I have many friends who have died by not doing the simple things in life.  

Wintertrian said:

OTOH, small aircraft malfunction all the time because pilots don't do pre-flight due dilligence.

I agree.  Same reason why motorcycle riders do the same thing.  If that bike or plane malfunctions you could be in for some pain.... not saying the Epsom crew didn't do this but I'd guess they didn't.    

TexSquared said...

I agree.  Same reason why motorcycle riders do the same thing.  If that bike or plane malfunctions you could be in for some pain.... not saying the Epsom crew didn't do this but I'd guess they didn't.

I learn a LOT from the safety guys in different expertise fields.  

For instance, something a lot of extreme weather people have taught me about tornados.  You must bring certain items w/you into your safe space, and that would include a 6 pack of bottled water,  NOT A GALLON or one large bottle.  Because if your water gets crushed/spills,  you are w/out water.  Whereas if you have a few smaller bottles around you, chances are that they won't all get crushed/damaged.   If you are under rubble waiting for a rescue, you need to think about things like this.  #2 is a ball peen hammer.   You need something to tap, tap, tap and/or can break thru materials because your hands will get tired after a while, and a search dog can hear you tapping. 

People always think about stuff like flashlights, but nobody dies from a lack of light, for instance.    :) 

I made a little booklet that covers all kinds of hazards and what is TRULY ESSENTIAL and it's often not what most people put in their bug-out bag or check on their cars, or have available for weather events.   My neurosurgeon:  #1 = protect your brain.   Hard to save yourself if you're unconscious.  It took me a lot of research to find a sky-diving helmet, which unlike a bike helmet or construction hard-hat, is flat on the back, so you can actually lay your head down and rest if you are in a shelter or stuck inside rubble.  

A friend recently died because he simply went on a (very) short errand on his little boat......he must have fallen overboard or got knocked unconscious.......and had not donned his orange safety vest.   A tragic way to die which would have been entirely avoidable. Safety vest would have keep him floating face up, and visible for rescue.   

Part of my PSA:    get CPR certified.  Fire departments have free classes quite often.  It's the very kindest and best thing you can do for your loved ones and community......save a life!   Think of it as part of your "charitable giving" every year.    I'm updating mine next month in a class.   I never saved a human but I did save a kitten who had stopped breathing after almost drowning. 

Just yesterday at my local track in a 3200 claimer, a 35-1 broke through the gate a split second before the race went off, got a jump on the field, and finished 4th. Race was voided.

I, of course, had the winner at 9-2 for a $300 win.