Epsom Dash: Key Takeaways from the Unexpected Event

Over the past weekend, we witnessed a masterstroke in horse training history as Aidan O’Brien turned Auguste Rodin from a lagging competitor in the 2000 Guineas into a Derby champion. Despite this, the spotlight of Saturday shifted toward the chaotic start of the Epsom Dash.

Background

For those unfamiliar, the Epsom Dash is the weekend’s marquee sprint, rivaled only by the Wokingham Handicap at Royal Ascot as the month’s most significant sprint handicap event.

A mere 35 minutes after 14 horses completed a similar course, a pack of 20 took off under conditions designed for three-year-olds.

The Issue

An error at the starting gates saw the inner bank of stalls open ahead of the outer due to Alligator Alley’s preemptive move from stall 14, inadvertently triggering the mishap.

At the same moment, Angle Land, positioned in stall 17, also anticipated the start, setting off before stalls 16, 18, 19, and 20, which started sluggishly.

The exact moment when stewards acknowledged this oversight remains uncertain, as there was a notable delay before these details surfaced in the BHA’s official website reports.

Interestingly, discussions about the race's start had already hit social media before the stewards seemed to notice any foul play.

The Result

To illustrate, Alligator Alley faced obstacles mid-race, leaping over a path around the two-furlong mark and encountering interference, eventually ending in 12th place.^thof 20.

Remarkably, Angle Land, who effectively took a head start, reached sixth place, finishing just under two lengths behind the leaders as horses from stalls 16, 18, 19, and 20 finished further behind.^th, 20^th(and last), 14^thand 17^threspectively.

Even though Ancient Times’ stall was the slowest to open, the horse performed admirably considering the odds, while Alligator Alley withstood early hurdles to outperform the late starters.

Live In The Moment was perhaps the most hampered by the stall malfunction since being a frontrunner he lacked the chance to implement his usual strategy.

The Stalls

While debates surrounding the stall issues could extend indefinitely, it’s worth noting that York owns its own stalls set of 20, and many find it unacceptable that Epsom lacks such a system.

Racecourses like Epsom ought to invest in a comprehensive bank of 20+ stalls to avert malfunctions, even if it means they stay put rather than travel across the UK.

Analyzing these problems highlights that big sprint events, likely highly lucrative, should ensure efficiency in staging large field sprints. tracks like Epsom , Ascot , Newmarket , York , Doncaster The era of stall sharing should end, with specialized equipment available for high-profile races such as the Epsom Dash.

Moreover, stalls were initially introduced to offer an equitable start for all; if bettors must now question their horse's start timing, returning to older methods might seem appealing.

Social media is rife with discussions about how much ground and time competitors lost due to the stalls mix-up. It appears irrational to assume that a half-second delay at the start holds no bearing on outcomes in a sport where every millisecond counts.

Time/Ground Lost

A representative of the stewards made an appearance on Racing TV later that day to unpack the incident, but by then it was already late.

Immediate action was needed, like declaring a stewards' inquiry post-race to prevent false celebrations over a win that might be retracted.

The aftermath will be intriguing, particularly how it influences handicapping. Should stewards believe the slow start had minimal impact, some weight adjustments might be expected for affected horses soon favored in large sprint handicaps.

Handicapping

As usual, we’ll likely hear that lessons were learned to prevent repeat scenarios in the future.

Lessons Learned

To preclude similar incidents, one or more stewards should be stationed at the start line to assess fairness, especially for large fields.

Enhanced communication between stewards and the public is needed. Web chatter shouldn’t have to highlight evident issues during a racing event, nor should trainers provide reasons for deviations from common tactics.

Ultimately, this scenario underscores how poor communication can undermine a billion-pound industry's image.

The decline in racing’s market share compared to football and tennis betting raises questions about racing’s appeal, yet there is potential for improvement.

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