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What a shambles at Chelmsford tonight in the 8.30 when the stalls were left on the track and the 8.30 race had to be halted mid race. There could have been serious consequences the horses were going full pelt.
Heads must roll
Things turn out best for those who make the best of how things turn out...Credit the skill of the jockeys for being able to pull up in the space of not much more than a furlong between the warning flags and the stranded set of stalls. The ‘stop race’ flags needed to be shown way farther up the course than they were.
Agreed Rob when the Commentator said the horses were heading towards stalls left on the track I feared the worst.
Things turn out best for those who make the best of how things turn out...They need red or yellow lights at every furlong pole. Flag waving is something from a distant past.
The ‘Stop Race’ Rule as taken from the BHA Rules Website seems disturbingly vague:
Stop Race Procedure (Rule (F)32)
(ii) When there is a major hazard ahead which is unable to be avoided and, in
the opinion of the Managing Executive, necessitates stopping (and
therefore voiding) a race, two tone (Pantone safety Yellow 13-0630TN and
Pantone safety Orange 021 C) Stop Race flags (minimum 85cms x
85cms) must be deployed and should be waved by pre-determined
racecourse personnel on the instruction of the Clerk of the Course or
nominated representative of the Managing Executive only. In addition, the
person(s) deploying the flags must blow a Fox 40 whistle to ensure riders
are aware of their presence. Managing Executives are responsible for the
specific operating procedures and training that they put in place to
optimise the deployment of Stop Race flags.Reports are saying that the tractor that moves the stalls into place (which is turned off as they load and start the race) wouldn’t go into gear to enable them to take the stalls off the course after the race had started.
Not sure if I have ever heard of this type of incident happening before but hopefully after this they will do something to ensure that there is a redundancy back up in place in case it ever happens again.
I have wondered if this sort of incident could occur, especially on the all weather tracks where races over more than one circuit are common.
I am not sure having some sort of back up vehicle is a solution. Could the original vehicle be detached from the stalls and the back up vehicle attached in the amount of time available? It seems unlikely.
Perhaps there needs to be a review of the flag process? I can’t see racecourses installing warning lights or sirens for an issue which is thankfully extremely rare. I can’t recall it happening before.
Just hook up another tractor to pull out the stalls and the duff tractor at the same time.
The things I want most in life are the things that I can't win.
Here is the void race and aftermath.
It was far too close for comfort. Somehow there has to be a way to warn the jockeys earlier.
I felt sick watching that even knowing everything was ok. Thank goodness they were able to stop.
I was watching live and I had to look away as I truly expected carnage. So relieved that they all stopped in time thanks to brilliant jockeyship.
That Tractor looked a real antique, I think first thing Monday morning they should get down to their local Ernest Does Farm machinery showroom and order themselves a state of the art gearless Tractor to ensure this never happens again.
Things turn out best for those who make the best of how things turn out...I suppose it comes down if its turned off did it start , if it started then was it a failure to go into gear .
If so if leaving it running would it then still failed to go.into gear as most places tractor is left running at loading time as failure to start although unlikely is a possibility even with engine warm .
There was no escape route there around the stalls so that could have been seriously nasty .Racing makes the headlines for the second day running on BBC Breakfast for all the wrong reasons.
A loud claxon should be sounded over the tannoy if a race needs to be stopped as well as having advanced flagmen. Wouldn’t be surprised if human error was involved as they didn’t seem much of a problem with the tractor after the race was stopped.I’m not sure how knowledgeable/volunteer the flag wavers are, but it feel likes they perhaps don’t realise that waiving then at the problem site isn’t sufficient they need to be moving further back. One of the jockeys commented that it helped that the starter had moved up the track to wave his flag.
It is just as well the starter moved back to wave his flag before they came off the bend because doing it in front of the obstruction is far too late.
The things I want most in life are the things that I can't win.
Like everyone in racing and all of us on here who love the sport I’m still in shock and breathing a huge sigh of relief as we understand more about what could have happened but for the quick thinking of a few people and the skill of the jockeys last night.
It was lovely to see the care and attention given to the horses as the jockeys dismounted and led them back to their stables and none of the horses looked spooked or afraid.
I’m not a fan of Chelmsford racecourse even though it is just 35 minutes drive from where I live I have only been twice. The race viewing is appalling you literally watch horses go to post and then come back again at the finish of the race, the rest is watched on the screen. Hardly any bookmakers there so most of the betting done on the Tote.
Things turn out best for those who make the best of how things turn out...
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