STARTING

In Sport 58 I drew attention to the fact that on the flat (as at the Royal Ascot meeting for example) fields of up to 28 runners enjoy perfect calm during the period that precedes the start, whereas under NH rules large fields are to be seen at the same stage becoming more and more tense, uncomfortable and distracted.

Because the horses have to negotiate hurdles or fences, steeplechasing is one of the most dangerous sports in the world.  Hence the need to eliminate tension, distraction and discomfort, so that horses and jockeys can concentrate on the job in hand, under conditions that are conducive to safety as well as competitiveness.

So why are large fields of flat racers granted an appropriate environment at the start, while large fields of jumpers aren’t?

Because of the employment under NH rules of the Rolling Maul – a process during which the runners are herded together and required to go round in tight circles, which irritates and upsets the horses (they have to change gait every few strides), and bothers the jockeys because they never know how many times they will be instructed to “go round again” before finally being called forward by the starter. Each extra circuit increases the tension, the discomfort and the distraction.

The Rolling Maul also imposes a competitive element at a stage of the proceedings which is supposed to be non-competitive. What does that mean? It means that the officials are supposedly there to ensure that all the runners are treated the same while under the control of the starter, whereas the Maul (which turns the field into a procession) dictates that some are favoured and others penalised.

Have the authorities been notified about this problem? In October 2014 there was a meeting between representatives of Cheltenham, Aintree, the BHA (represented by Mr J. Stier) and the Professional Jockeys Association (Paul Struthers). This was a reaction to the unacceptable number of false starts, particularly at Cheltenham and Aintree, where fields tend to be large. We are talking about some of the top races of the NH season, so this is a serious matter.

After the meeting Paul Struthers  reported to his jockeys that “it has been agreed that large fields of horses circling round in ever-decreasing circles immediately before the off is unhelpful in effecting fair and controlled starts and is therefore to be avoided wherever possible.”

Mr Stier, who had apparently been party to this “agreement”, made no mention of it in his press release, and the Rolling Maul is still being used, two years after the 2014 meeting and several more years after its unsuitability was brought to his attention.

If Cheltenham, Aintree and the PJA to sit down with Mr Stier and make recommendations, it is extraordinary that he (a man whose CV does not suggest expertise in starting steeplechases) should ignore them – but that is what he has done.  Needless to say, the last two years have clearly demonstrated that big-field starting is still unsatisfactory and that the reason for the continuing problem is the continuing presence of the Rolling Maul.

If anyone thinks that  the Maul improves “timekeeping” (an argument that has never yet seen the light if day, but may be lurking in the shadows), that argument is questionable on two levels: first, a field of calm and relaxed horses ridden by calm and relaxed jockeys will respond to instructions far more promptly than if all concerned are steamed up and uncomfortable. Second, no improvement in “timekeeping” justifies the degradation of the starting process  which the Rolling Maul causes.

What should replace it? Nothing. The horses should walk in a big circle, anticlockwise and nose-to-tail, some distance behind the starting gate until the starter puts them under orders, whereupon they should make their way towards the starting-gate as calmly as large fields of  flat racers approach the stalls at Royal Ascot.

Further, if anyone suggests that comparing flat racing to jumping is inappropriate, because the stalls and the handlers feature in the former but not in the latter, that objection can be immediately overruled. On the flat, before the loading begins, the runners are perfectly well managed by their jockeys and the calm atmosphere is in no way due to the stalls operation. The difference in tension between the two codes is caused by the Maul.

Is it not time for the top brass to take an interest in this situation?  I hazard a guess that a trial period of some months without the Rolling Maul, and without Mr Stier, and hopefully with a great deal of input from the starters themselves, would be enough to put the matter to rest once and for all.

WHAT’S BEAUTIFUL THESE DAYS?

Highland Reel (Ryan Moore) beating Wings of Desire (Frankie Dettori) in the King George at Ascot. Wonderful jockeyship by Ryan Moore, and I imagine Frankie might be quite keen for a re-match.

Talking of re-matches, those three Guineas winners keep serving up spectacular viewing. Goodwood’s Sussex Stakes was yet another nail-biter. Reminiscent of Ormonde, Minting and The Bard. As I sat at my desk, I reached out to my right and my hand found its way to “Men and Horses I have Known”. I checked the date when those three heroes were squaring up to each other – 1886. A timely reminder to all racing buffs that no month is complete without two or three chapters from that divine depiction of a golden age. Not a Rolling Maul in sight.

Goodwood’s Stewards’ Cup has always been a race that every trainer wants to win, and preferably with a well-backed horse that has arrived at the start as a comparatively unknown quantity. No subterfuges this year, however. The winner’s form was very good and there for all to see.

The winner,  three-year-old filly Dancing Star, is owned by her breeder Jeff  Smith, and trained by Andrew Balding at Kingsclere. Her grandmother Lochangel was a half-sister to Lochsong, a filly who twice won the Cartier Award as Top European Sprinter and was voted 1993 European Horse of the Year. She too was owned and bred by Jeff Smith and trained at Kingsclere, by Ian Balding, Andrew’s father, and she also won the Stewards’ Cup, in 1992. So what do we have here? Twenty-four years of a glorious association between an outstanding training establishment and an owner-breeder whose success-rate suggests that he has negotiated access to supernatural guidance.

Dancing Star was ridden by David Probert, which adds another dimension to the fairy tale.  The elder Balding trained more than 2000 winners (123 of which were Group races). However I have a sneaking suspicion that he must also take great pride in the “apprentice academy” he created when he first started training at Kingsclere. Ever since, it has produced a steady stream of top jockeys who have been taught not just how to ride but how to handle the ups and downs of life in the fast lane. David Probert is a superb example, and he is one of several currently demonstrating the value of their schooling.

There you have it. A thumbnail sketch of one handicap in late July that perhaps reveals why horseracing can sometimes appear to be Heaven on earth.  What a delight – and not even the semblance of the shadow of a Rolling Maul.

Best wishes,

Donec

PS I forgot to pay tribute to California Chrome, who returned to the track at Del Mar on July 23rd after four months away (since his two victories in Dubai). He stalked Dortmund (who is very useful) until the turn into the final straight, and then went by him. Whereupon Dortmund (receiving 5 lbs) responded with gusto and it was nip and tuck all the way. CC won by half a length.

Look at the way he has been campaigned and salute his trainer and his owners. There can be little doubt that the intervals between races and the holidays at the Taylor Made stud are the reasons for the way he has grown into twice the horse he was as a three-tear-old – and has continued to thrive on competition.