Jockey Club introduces new stalls measures

New starting procedures are being introduced by the Jockey Club in a bid to improve the behaviour of horses for stalls entry.

Despite stricter penalties being introduced over three years ago following an industry-wide review, the number of unruly horses at the start in 2005 was higher than in the previus three years at 400.

After discussions with the National Trainers’ Federation, the Jockey Club has set out four initiatives aimed at improving loading procedures, efficiency and safety at the start.

Beginning this month, there will be a three-month trial on all-weather tracks of loading in draw order rather than odds and evens.

From the start of the Flat turf season a horse will only be given two attempts to go into the stalls and starters will no longer send to the rear a horse for one final chance at the end of the loading process.

Any trainer who (between January 2005 and February 2006) has 10% or more of their horses identified as ‘badly behaved’ at the start will, for the rest of the year, not be permitted to present a horse for a stalls test for a minimum of 14 days after being referred for one.

Trainers who have a 15 per cent record of ‘badly-behaved’ horses will have to put their debutants through a new stalls certification process before being allowed to run, with effect from the 2007 Flat turf season.

Tony Goodhew, the Jockey Club director of racecourse licensing and standards, believes the measures are good news for trainers of well-behaved horses.

He said: “Trainers who have consistently produced well-prepared horses will not be adversely affected, and indeed will no longer be potentially disadvantaged as their runner stands in the stalls, waiting for a badly schooled competitor to be given another chance to load.”