It would be a fine week to be in the trade of selling canned worms, because plenty of them were being opened up after Harness Racing Victoria announced it was getting rid of standing starts for pacers when the new Australian harness racing season begins on September 1.
The reactions on Twitter have been varied, to say the least.
Some are heralding it as finally fitting in to what punters want, while others bemoan the impending glut of $1.20 favourites in Victoria.
I can see some reasoning behind HRV's decision.
One factor is the brutal way in which harness racing is treated by the Sky Racing channel in Australia.
As soon as a race even looks like it's going to run late, it gets shunted across to Sky 2.
Sky Racing 1 has a much greater reach across pubs and clubs, and to get relegated to Sky 2 generally means a decent dip in turnover.
. . . on the corner
Another reason cited in the press release was the frustration punters get if their horse gallops away at the start.
Again, I have some sympathy - and we could spend another six weeks in this column debating the standard of horsemanship in getting horses used to standing starts.
If punters get turned off by a code where they don't even feel like they've experienced any sort of thrill, why would they bother?
Across this side of the Tasman, I shared the press release on Twitter, and instantly the conversation was divided.
Largely the same arguments apply here, but the biggest issue I see if standing starts were dispensed with in New Zealand is what is the alternative?
As you creep further up the grades (let's say c3 through to open class), the numbers across the country are rather thin on the ground.
. . . watching the horses go by
Preferential barrier draws have their place but they simply aren't an option to avoid $1.10 hot-pots if you have a c7 pacer taking on a c3 pacer, with only a wide barrier draw to overcome.
Some might say "leave the c7 pacer out of it'', but where do they go for a run then?
Wait for group races to roll around with no runs to keep fit in between?
With the horse population diminishing, it's incumbent on the harness racing industry to provide racing opportunities for those horses who want to keep racing here - especially with the American market warming up as a very viable option again.
With the tight-class pacers still needing standing starts, it would make no sense to drop c0 and c1 maidens either.
Until someone comes up with a brainwave such as a rating points system, let's stick with stands - as long as the starters across the country come up with a uniform approach to getting horses away on even terms.
Lazy Fiver
Costa Del Magnifico was just fair in third at Addington.
I'm picking Scrutinize to bounce back to winning form in race 3 at Ellerslie on Sunday.
- check out Matt's two-minute racing tips video every Friday at www.odt.co.nz
