Rule 149(1)Originally Posted by smithy
A driver shall take all reasonable and permissible measures during the course of a race to ensure that the horse driven by that driver is given full opportunity to win or obtain the best possible placing in the field.
How a number of stewards in a number of states are interpreting the change of tactics rule is in direct conflict with with rule 149. You can't plan 100% what is happening out there. A good driver has plan A and B and also the ability to make split second decisions. These change of plans may happen in the race due to unforeseen circumstances.
With team driving, at least one of those horses (the chopping block which is either the horse carting the stable mate up and attacking the leaders; a horse attacking the leaders for its stablemate to swoop everyone at the finish; a horse that pulls three wide and stops moving forward to not allow the back markers to be carted into the race and beat the stablemate in the front/death/1-1 etc) is NOT being driven in accordance to rule 149(1). They are driven to get the stablemate home. If a driver wins a race yet gets punished under change of tactics, what about rule 149(1)?
Rule 44(1)
A driver or 1 or more of the connections of a horse intending to adopt during a race tactics contrary to the horse's usual racing pattern shall, as soon as practicable, so notify the stewards.
So what happens mid race or at the start or whenever, when something unforseen happens and plan A and B won't work? How can a driver notify stewards mid race that they have to change tactics? An odds-on shot regardless of racing pattern is entitled to go to the lead, but say the pace is crazy fast and the driver just sits there and waits and swoops home and wins? Despite being contrary to it's normal racing pattern (go forward?). Or the horse that likes to lead over a mile but its first time over 2600m elects to take a sit on a 3-1 shot when its 20-1 itself?? Or a horse that is 100-1 and has only ever won in the lead, but then Blacks A Fake comes bowling up?
I think its unfair for the stewards to think that drivers know exactly what is going to happen before every race - they don't. Change of tactics rule, how it is being enforced at the moment, stifles this needed discretion by drivers. I know one trainer driver got called in, their horse goes very good in front and this time they took a sit. They took a sit because the past half a dozen races this horse had was over a mile, he wasn't very strong. This race was 2600m, they thought it would be better to give a weak horse a run behind the leader and use the sprint lane. The horse didn't win, but went well, much better than if he had done it all himself. Yet they were called in under the change of tactics rule!!
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