WA. Things happen there that just don't happen anywhere else...

[Maorisidol]

Race 3 Narrogin today 13/5/14. Into the home straight Chris Voak 3 pegs on a $16 shot, has a $19 shot directly outside him sitting nicely in the 1/1.
However on the turn 50m before, the 1/1 horse gets a shake up from his driver and then seems to travel ok, but Voak decides he wants out, so he does.
Pushes the 1/1 horse out 3 wide just before the bell.
They essentially travel together to about the 500 when BOTH start labouring and losing ground, the 1/1 finishes last and u have to think if he was not 3 wide covering extra ground may not have been SO far back, but I'm looking for Voak who SO desperately had to get off, to go somewhere assuming he had SO much horse left and was obviously a winning chance finishes 28.6m from the winner!!!!!!!
Wow, lucky he got out. NOT!
Ya just don't see that CRAP happen outside WA...
http://www.harness.org.au/meeting-results.cfm?mc=NG130514&ms=wa#NGC13051408

[Richard prior]

Ash, Go to the Race 6@ Penrith thread from about a week ago and have a look at the replay, I think it's post 17. Stupidity does happen outside WA.

[Maorisidol]

Yep totally,
I am more about that Voaks pushing out today i believe is "legal" in WA but not anywhere else so much. Now i stand to be corrected as i don't know state laws in every state re this behaviour, but again my point is law or no law, you don't see that blatant pushing from Alford Lang Fitzpatrick Mc Carthy Dixon etc

[Chariots]

Rule in WA is that you can ease out off the pegs from the top of the straight coming to the bell provided no horse is obliged to race four wide as result of that action. Eg if a horse is moving up three wide it is illegal to ease out at the pegs.

From the top of the back straight the last time it is legal to move any horse wider provided no interference results.

The latter rule once applied from the top of the front straight with a lap to go but Stewards were having difficulty in adjudicating on interference at that point. Under that rule WA racing was certainly the most competitive in Australia.

[Messenger]

Ray, would I be right in thinking that this is a somewhat dangerous alternative to sprint lanes?

[Lucky Camilla"s Lovechild]

Yep totally,
I am more about that Voaks pushing out today i believe is "legal" in WA but not anywhere else so much. Now i stand to be corrected as i don't know state laws in every state re this behaviour, but again my point is law or no law, you don't see that blatant pushing from Alford Lang Fitzpatrick Mc Carthy Dixon etc
Ash, I wonder if it works the other way, and you can push a horse back into the running line?

[Chariots]

You are probably right Messenger and the danger comes into play when drivers attempt to resist the outward movement when they are not in a position to do so safely.

Difficult to weigh up the benefits of competitive racing against horses being hoisted against their will with a lap to go.

Comes into play well when a horse on the pegs is travelling strongly and shifts one that is only barely holding position. Some like it some don't.

[Maorisidol]

You are probably right Messenger and the danger comes into play when drivers attempt to resist the outward movement when they are not in a position to do so safely.

Difficult to weigh up the benefits of competitive racing against horses being hoisted against their will with a lap to go.

Comes into play well when a horse on the pegs is travelling strongly and shifts one that is only barely holding position. Some like it some don't.

Problem in this situation Ray, Voaks horse wasn't travelling "strongly" at all. wasn't pulling or racing fiercely at all, no one was in danger based on how his horse was going...
And the proof was in how and where he finished.
Stewards should have queried him on why he pushed out when subsequently his horse proved there was no reason to do so.
But they didn't in the stewards report.
The rule needs strict regulation, this example means anyone can do it for no reason of worth.

[Danno]

Personal opinion is the NSW rules make it very difficult to keep both the owners and the punters happy, the WA rules make it difficult to keep both the punters and the owners happy, Victoria is a similar situation as is QLD and SA, not sure of the Northern Territory rules or PNG for that matter.

If a punter has backed the horse that gets pushed wide he cracks the shits.

If the punter has backed the horse that is locked in and it doesn't get out....he cracks the shits!!!!

This ( IMO) silly topic has no chance of gaining a concencus of opinion anywhere in the world leave alone this forum.

Watched Chris Voak's drive and thought he pushed out very safely, but misjudged how much petrol he had in the tank, at least he was trying!!! if I were a punter I would be happy he was trying!!

As a driver I see ( and sometimes unfortunately feel) the result of people pushing this way and that, who have no idea what they are doing, and bring other people and/or their horses to grief.....Chris Voak ( who I wouldn't know from a bar of soap) did a good job trying to give the horse a chance for both the owners of the horse and the punting public without endangering anyone else.

To me that is what driving is all about...giving your horse achance without hurting anyone else!!

If someone can explain to me how I'm wrong I'd love to hear your thoughts.

Cheers,
Dan

[Chariots]

I agree Dan the only problem was that Voak who is a very good driver overestimated the ability of his horse in this instance. As it turned out he would have been better off staying on the pegs as he was following the winner and 3rd horse and may have run 4th instead of 5th.

Whether that warranted query by the stewards is problematical.

The horse he shifted did run last beaten 53m and he was beaten 28m.