At Windsor earlier today. The video is somewhat annoying; it focuses more on the jockeys ignoring the false start/recall flags than on the horse that caused it. Presumably the horse is okay. I think the interviewer tried to ask that question of the official but was interrupted by that individual.
How very scary, hope the horse was OK.
I wonder if that horse will ever be willing to go into the start gate again⊠darn⊠that had to be so traumatic.
What is the top rail made from?
I assumed, clearly incorrectly (I hope) that it was metal, but it appears to be something that comes apart quite easily.
I think itâs PVC or something similar.
Wow, that official really stammered and stumbled trying to avoid just saying, yeah, we f*cked this one up
Saw somewhere the horse was âunscathedâ.
I now jockeys are going to be focused, but they completely missed the guy standing in the middle of the track waving a big yellow flag?
I suspect there were a few really pissed off trainers.
It was a race for apprentice jockeys i.e. ones learning their job. The horses in these types of races tend to be very experienced. The jockeys made a bit of a pigs ear of the whole thing. 10 day mandatory suspension for those that ignored the flags, lessons learned all round.
@trubandloki The white rails are made from deformable plastic to prevent injury to horse or jockey should they make contact. I vaguely recall serious injuries decades ago when rails were still made of concrete and metal. You saw the Steward, when asked if the loose horse could have been restarted to run the race, say âabsolutely not, big welfare issueâ. The vets would have checked the horse over as soon as possible. It will go home and be re-introduced to stalls and then, all being well, it will be put through an official stalls test to prove it can handle them safely before it races again. If not, a second career awaits, even jump racing as that doesnât use starting stalls.
I think blindfolding horses to go in a starting gate should be illegal. This isnât the first time something like this has happened. An incredible amount of risk and potential accidents could happen in a split second.
There is racing 363 days a year with multiple meets running multiple horses in multiple races. An issue with a blindfold is vanishingly rare. Sometimes accidents happen.
Yeah, seems to me this method of loading an uncooperative horse is a kind and safe way to get the horse in. Do not see it that often but have seen it enough to feel this is one of those freak accidents that are just horses being horses complicated by the all apprentice rider field.
Trainers school the gate and lose sleep trying to figure out the tough ones but there is no way to school the gate is actual race day conditions, they have to do it to learn how and fail to see that banning what is, IMO, the most humane training aid to help relax the beasts would benefit anybody.
I wonder if we would all be ok with people doing this regularly for claustrophobia and anxiety related issues.
Trailer loading? Just use a blind fold.
Doesnât like the clippers? Blind fold.
Crazy in the start box at an event? Blind fold.
Barrel horse jiggy in the alley? Blind fold.
etc.
Pinky swear the responsible party will take it off, just in time. 
I get that itâs impossible to train for the moment. Perhaps, if that committed to not doing it, the horse needs to move on to another sport.
I am happy to note that I have not seen gate crews âearingâ reluctant horses to get them to load in quite some time.
Yeahâeveryone I knew who owned an OTTB up until a few years ago could not get near the left ear. Forget clipping, even bridling was tricky.
Anyone remember this nightmare for Quality Road? That assistant starter who somehow hung on probably saved the horsesâs life. If he had gotten loose and run away blindfolded?
I remember that like it was yesterday, I was horrified. They pushed him way over the line and should have known it. I was really surprised that they persisted as long as they did. When he started kicking at human head height, he was becoming dangerous to himself and the gate crew.
You have to know at some point when the horse is done, when pushing further is a bad idea, and this is a perfect example.
I suppose the atmosphere of importance and excitement of the Breeders Cup race affected their judgement. They were lucky that he wasnât badly injured and that the jockey and gate crew came through without serious injuries.
On a positive note, it does take me back to the days of Zenyatta and how fun it was to watch her run.
Poor Quality Road was so frazzled he refused to get on the plane back to the East Coast. They had to van him.
They fixed him however. He had a great 2010 season. And has been highly successful at stud.
He sure does get some good looking babies.
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