The BHA’s Cathy O’Meara, Robbie Supple and Shaun Parker join host Nick Lightfoot to discuss the announcement of recommendations designed to improve the starts at Cheltenham and across wider Jump racing.
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Fewer false starts and clearer starting processes are the aims of recommendations from the review of starts at the Cheltenham Festival
Fewer false starts and clearer starting processes among the objectives of recommendations from the review of starts at the Cheltenham Festival. The follow detailed consultation with jockeys, trainers, broadcasters, officials and bettors. Course configuration, starting procedure changes and enhanced regulation are amongst the five recommendations. They include Cheltenham-specific layout changes alongside others which apply to Jump racing as a whole:
1. Optimise as far as possible the track layouts at Cheltenham’s two most problematic starting points (2 mile and 2 1/2 mile) to reduce natural field congestion and acceleration.
2. Change current wording within the rules as to the maximum pace at which a horse can approach the tapes from a \"walk or jig-jog\" to “walking pace” to apply to all Jump races.
3. To improve clarity for all involved, explore the concept of a physical, highly visible \"start zone\" at starts across all racecourses.
4. To increase the deterrent to rule breaches, consider the implementation of a tiered penalty increase specifically targeting Class 1 and Class 2 races across all courses.
5. Explore introduction of a live audio recording system to capture communications and instructions given by starters to jockeys, with a direct feed to the stewards' room.
Prior to any implementation all of these recommendations will now be scoped out in more detail. This includes further discussion with participants, assessment of racecourses where there are proposals for physical changes, and consideration of trial periods.
Read the full details at https://www.britishhorseracing.com/press_releases/fewer-false-starts-and-clearer-starting-processes-are-the-aims-of-recommendations-from-the-review-of-starts-at-the-cheltenham-festival/
","author_name":"British Horseracing Authority"}