The National Horseracing Authority Racing Control Executive Arnold Hyde has provided the Sporting Post with a report from the KZN Stipendiary Board on the circumstances which led to the gates of the runners in the Gr2 WSB 1900 opening a fraction early and a Handler narrowly escaping injury.
Winning combination: Justin Snaith and Bernard Fayd’herbe – all’s well that ends well! (Pic – Denzil Govender / Gold Circle)
We reported the issue of how a Handler crawled out of the front of the stalls in Saturday’s feature and narrowly missed being run over by the eventual winner, Elusive Silva.
The matter was referred by the Sporting Post to NHA Racing Control Executive Arnold Hyde, who has acknowledged that it should have formed part of the original Stipes Report.
The KZN Stipes responded as follows for the record:
With reference to the start of the 6th Race at Greyville on 19 May 2018 the following has been established.
The Assistant Starter started this race.
We had two bad horses in the field both graded to be loaded with hoods.
THE SLADE is an exception to the starting stall loading procedures and Malan Du Toit, the horse whisperer, assists at the start whenever this horse runs as he is that problematic.
The horse in stall 11 was graded to stand equipped with a hood in the stalls. This was removed as the Handler in question was coming out the stalls having loaded the volatile THE SLADE. The removal of the hood was, in hindsight probably a little premature. This was coupled with the one horse, which required a very quick start to avoid a potential problem.
It is apparent that the Assistant Starter has mistimed effecting the start and misjudged the Handler having sufficient opportunity to have enough clearance from the front of the starting stalls. He was of the view that in real time he believed the Handler was clear hence him starting the race.
The Assistant Starter was advised to ensure that in future he allows sufficient time to ensure that the Handlers are fully clear before effecting the start.
Although it is easy to criticise when looking head on to the start as opposed to the acute angle the starter is positioned at, when reviewing the start in slow motion from the head on angle it is apparent that the Handler has not comfortably cleared the vicinity of the starting stalls.
After reviewing this incident of the start of this race and considering the possible effect it had on the horses at the start, the Stipendiary Stewards were of the opinion that no horses had been materially affected by the incident.
