FALSE START TO RACE

Press, Volume XCVI, Issue 28371, 2 September 1957, Page 4

FALSE START TO RACE

12 Horses Run Mile

(New Zealand Press Association) AUCKLAND, September 1. Twelve horses in the Swanson High-weight at Avondale yesterday ran a mile from a false start, their riders not having heard a siren which was sounded to recall the field. The horses were Rangi’s Luck, Peter Revel, Ulsterman, Morpheus, Distinctive. Croizet, Beau Valure, Killick, Kazam, Lord Pilate, Land King, and Assayer. The false start was declared when the four inside gates failed to open. The hotses kept in the stalls were May Day, Dunray, and Yardgar, which filled the placings when the race was rerun, and Keneu. Seven others, Iskander, Bretton, Sea Contour, Joysoh, Innes Boy, Merrywynn, and Talleyrand, started and ran short distances before their riders realised that there was no race. At an inquiry held into the start evidence was heard from the jockeys, B. L. Hillis and V. H. Simpson, two of the club s patrol stewards, Mr H, R. Robinson and Mr C. E. Newfield, and the starter, Mr J. Gavin. The committee found that Mr Gavin had tested the gates before the race and that there was no sign of trouble. When the gates failed to open the siren was sounded immediately, but it appeared that, because of the heavy going and the fact that the wind was blowing in the wrong direction, it was heard by few of the jockeys. The gates were left in position on Mr Gavin’s instructions until it was apparent that 12 of the horses were not pulling up, and they were then moved as a safety measure. . . . Because of the bad conditions, and because there was no time available later in the day, it was decided to rerun the race immediately.