I was the gate camera at Hastings for two full seasons. We were instructed to NOT show some of the coaxing that the assistant starters used to get horses to load...NONE hurt the horses (i.e. making a lot of noise behind them so they would move forward, giving them a bit of a bump in the butt with the flat of a broom etc)......But delays often changed the race significantly: the longer they were in there, the more it potentially changed things.
It was my observations there, close up and personally, and seeing how more agitated the animals became the longer the start was delayed (and often the crazy outcomes from field then soaking with sweat from the agitation and delay) that I ALWAYS cancel bets on a race when they are loading too long or have to bring the whole field out to reload later. Worse the younger the horse as well.
The majority of gate cameras show what they are ALLOWED to show...Our biggest problem most times was that I left the microphone ON and the interesting comments of the assistant starters got out to the public!
__________________
"If this world is all about winners, what's for the losers?" Jr. Bonner: "Well somebody's got to hold the horses Ace."
|