WRETCHED STARTING IN TROTTING RACES.

Southland Times, Issue 22296, 11 April 1934, Page 9

WRETCHED STARTING IN TROTTING RACES.

To the Editor. Sir,—A perusal of the columns of your valuable paper shows it is evident that your sporting scribes till refuse to realize how ineffective towards even starting are these standing barrier systems. It is, however, apparent that they cannot, as formerly, so confidently assert, that our present deplorable starting can be remedied by more tutorship at the barrier, since they are patently afraid to entertain the idea or imposing heavy penalties on the owners and trainers of so-called unschooled horses. We find, after the usual uneven starting at the Invercargill and Wyndham meetings, that poor getaways” have been dismissed under the caption that ‘‘horses will be horses. No doubt it is from the barrier point ot view an excellent excuse, but I cannot permit my contentions to be so comfortably put aside. Since neither “Observer” nor “Satisfied” is prepared to meet the respective challenges of “Ex-Owner” and myself, relative to the merits of the move-up starting system, I take it that each of these gentlemen has found himself on untenable grounds, and therefore, is unable to back up his contribution ventured m this controversy. I would recommend that they and all other protagonists of the standing start systems, now take a retrospect of the Carnival meeting at Addington, and then sit down, furiously to think. None of “Observer s trainer-advisers, nor “Satisfied” could venture to teach their profession to such drivers of international fame as the Australian McKay, Tomkinsom McDermott, Kennedy, Thomas, Wishers and company with experienced horses in hand; yet they all got left on the mark. A whole lot of horses lost their chances in every despatch, and the Invitation scratch events were very unsatisfactory, both starts being very uneven. In the Mile, Walla Walla had j the luck to hit his hopples first; in ! the half-mile Harold Logan; thus demonstrating the fact that in a field of fast horses the first out must be tne winner, while the question which is the better horse remains, as before, unsettled. With these points in view your sporting scribes should recognize the futility of their defence of the flatfooted barrier start, and use their abilities instead to have the “move-up ’ system brought into vogue —a system which in no wise can be seriously challenged.—l am, etc., “PUNTER.”