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FOREIGN STARTING METHODS AND TOOLS E A Ilalliwell the starter of the South African Jockey Clubs is a keen veteran who has been in harness nearly sixteen years His opinion on start ¬ ing and starting appliances and methods is natur ¬ ally of value It Is given in it recent number of Sporting Life aw follows followsWhich Which do you consider the better the walkup or standstill start V was the first question asked askedI I do not agree with the walkup start Mr Ilalliwell replied because if you have such a start you might as well revert to the old method of the flag My system is to make the good horses stand still the restless and vicious ones I put behind leaving an opening for them to come up When the bad ones come up in line and are about a length behind those already standing still the signal is given aud in ninetynine cases out of a hundred 1 get the field oif like men off the mark I consider that about a length when a horse is on a slow move is a fair allowance to make as against those hordes which are standing up to the tape tapeThe The character of the gate has of course a great deal to do with the tmccess or otherwise of a start iTes startiTes decidedly Personally I have a strong ob ¬ jection to any gate whose action causes the tape to lly in front of the horses In England I under ¬ stand such a gate is in use and In my humble opin ¬ ion this is a great mistake and I am not speaking without a good deal of experience on the point Formerly such a gate was in use at Turffontein at Johannesburg but on my suggestion it was changed to the gate now employed there The great merit of this particular gate is that it lias only one tape obviously an advantage for the less a horse sees the less fear Is instilled into him Hut a greater merit still Is to he found In the fact that the machine tiles up so quickly and noiselessly the typo going over the horses hondK and in a seventh of a second Is at rest again Tho machine is perfectly noiseless noiselessI I understand that in England they have a plat ¬ form for the starter If that Is the case said Mr Ilalliwell it is in my opinion most undesirable At Turffoutoin the starter is practically hidden from view only hla head and shoulders being visible so MS not to frighten the horses The lever Is so placed that the jockeys cannot see the starter pull It I thinl the lever is preferable to the electric but ¬ ton Vtbat is the rule in England as regards start ¬ ing It lavs down Unit every horse must start from a stand In my opinion this is a moral impossibil ¬ ity because In nine cases out of ten vou cannot get your Held to stand still In South Africa we have what Is In my opinion a very much better rule for it gives the starter discretion to start his field either from a standstill or a walk and in this I think lies the whole secret of a successful even start Of course your starter must be a man well up to lil work quick of eye and must not hesitate a fraction of a second once lie has the field iu lino or as near so as possible
