I am afraid that Mr Street seems to be playing the spoilt child card. He has every right to pull his sponsorship and that is a real shame however his speil that everyone will leave the harness game if we persist with standing starts is bullocks. Sir Lincoln has started 6 times from the stand and while not the flashest or fastest away each time he has managed to go away. Yet as far as I am aware we have heard nothing from Mr Street re: standing starts. Then along come the race last week where the disqualifcation arises and all of a sudden the game has gone to the pack and he's heading to Oz, pulled his horse out of the Cup, ceased his sponsorship. As far as him saying he wants the trainers to take their horses to the track and then refuse to start half an hour before the race, well they didn't have to nominate for that race!
I have no worries about the NZ Cup or whatever going to a mobile but the race is supposed to be a handicap. It's a standing start end of story.
John Curtain stated that they didn't put Auckland Reactor into the cup a couple of years ago because he couldn't step, good decision. I myself didn't put my horse into the cup because it wasn't fast enough! (It's a maiden)
Also, turnovers on mobiles verses standing starts are almost the same with no real disparities between the two. I know there is a debate on mobile verses stands. I myself think that half the drivers, certainly in my area, are not that skilled at getting a difficult horse away.
Let the debate continue........