Originally Posted by ScabsCat
[VVV] If the rule remains in place then not only must they police it fully but they must police it accurately & police it in the spirit with which the rule was first instituted. It's going back a little bit however in what was nothing short of a classic piece of Keystone Cops style slapstick...I can vividly recall former NSW Chief Steward Bill Cable quite bloodymindedly fining Luke McCarthy when driving Roman Stride for snagging off the gate and coming with one late go at them to win the race.
It apparently mattered not that Roman Stride, the short priced fav, won the race exactly BECAUSE of the fact Luke snagged off the gate instead of adopting his customary style of leaving for the front & duly becoming involved in an early burn with at least a trio of other fast beginners drawn to his inside. All that apparently mattered to Bill & his Panel was that he was 'not driven as per normal'.
The inescapable fact that had he been driven as per normal, the short priced fav. would almost certainly have gone down & the COT rule would have in fact served to defeat its own purpose by way of dudding the Punters on said short price fav. who's interests it was designed to protect, well...it apparently never crossed their minds. Honestly. WTF????? The COT rule is an absolute abomination & it should be dispensed with immediately if not sooner.
