Wayneo, you are obviously very passionate about this subject to go to such lengths (admirably I might add) to prove a point. My point of view, for what it is worth. A bunch of drunks is hardly a great yardstick to measure the ability of a 60kg woman sitting astride a 500kg animal on a faulty piece of equipment which is hanging by a proverbial tampon string, possibly because the animal was holding its breath when the girth strap was tightened and the saddle buckled up. I am not going to even attempt to try to change YOUR view on an incident that most participants in harness racing hold their breath over as it unfolds. Most industry participants know and accept the inherent risks of the sport...and most who care to enlighten you here would be well past trying to highlight the dangers associated with it.
You have questioned the horsemanship of Maree...are you serious? Just try to put yourself in her situation and ask yourself what you would do. What would YOU do? Why not ask the other uninformed bar flies what they would do with their intimate knowledge of trotting? Ask yourself how many of those same bar flies have actually made an investment in the race (tipping it will not be a high number), but hey they got some cheap thrills for nothing at the expense of a woman in dire trouble.
Mate you are comparing Ferraris to Four Wheel Drives in the galloper/trotting department...have you ever sat on thoroughbred at full gallop...it is like riding on a thread of silk...those trotters are more like Suzuki Sierras driving up the Great Dividing Range! You really should try it for yourself, don't bother listening to me. Riding with long irons is the only way to sit on them...and I really cannot think of one jock in the last 30 40 or 50 years that ever rode with irons that long at the races that you have claimed. Always more than happy to be enlightened though.
I asked you about Gina's unfortunate start and you have over analysed it to Enthhh degree, but missed my point entirely...but I like your approach to the situation, she was holding on too tight on the reins and apparently getting tighter the further back she went. What are you suggesting Wayneo, that she relaxes her grip on the horse and has even less control over a runaway train, further endangering herself and any other horse/rider behind her????? Any rider worth their salt would have kept trying to gather up the horse. Please!
Wayneo, I had a different opinion on the Gold Ace start that got him into the Hunter Cup. It completely opposed others who thought the horse had gained an unfair advantage. I wasn't going to see it their way and they were not going to see it mine. The best thing for me to do was SHUT UP.
Here endeth the lesson...and long live Monte racing in Oz...I hope this form of racing keeps gathering support from all sections of the industry.
Post script.....if you spell straight strate once more, I swear....