Quote Originally Posted by eliteblood View Post
I know my eyesight is not great but there is no chance of me being able to identify runners by the different coloured caps that drivers might be wearing, or by the colour of the saddlecloth. By the way, Harold Park used to have a different coloured saddlecloth for each number.
Currently when I watch a race I distinguish horses because I generally know who the trainer is and therefore what colours it races in. It is very easy to see that the Robinson trained horse is leading from the Fitzpatrick trained horse, the Day trained horse is behind the leader and the Turnbull horse has galloped and is last, etc.

Under the proposal, after initially learning which colour corresponds to which number, (and assuming that my eyesight was good enough to identify the colours), I would be able to see that the pink (No 1) is leading from the green (No. 5), the black (No 3) is behind the leader and the blue (No. 8) has galloped and is last. Providing I have memorized the field and their barrier positions before each race there won't be a problem. I will easily be able to watch a race converting as I look at each runner the saddlecloth / cap colour to a barrier number to the perfectly memorised name of the horse that was drawn in that barrier.

I think I will stay in the restaurant and listen to Fred.
There is no doubt what you say is right to some degree, but the dogs have proved it works, punters do not have to think one is always the red ect .. for those that know the Trainers colors it is of zero assistance I agree but the truth is most punters do not know them, the HP numbers were not big enough to distinguish they need to be bigger if you are going to try it,

Many of our better punters will tell you they already use the driver helmets to follow a runner rather than the colors so it must work, I know in the Junior Drivers races where the leader in the pointscore always wore a yellow helmet cover it stuck out like dogs you know what.

Most Punters watch only one or two in a race the one they backed and the danger.

I just think it is better than taking away from the owners and trainers colors.