bad day for becker

[the galah]

race 5 at hawera today. You had to feel sorry for the horse becker.

shortly after the start it appears the horse(i'm all in-k coppins), drawn to its outside is allowed to drift in slightly and its back leg makes contact with beckers sulky,causing i'm all in to gallop,then that horse runs in when in a gallop and then this time its front leg makes significant contact with beckers sulky catipulting the driver of becker out of the sulky and giving her little option but to let go .

so becker starts off running around after the 3 horses in front of it as another 3 behind it chase just behind it.

but waits theres more.

down the back straight the horse nearest to becker driven by j dunn jnr, wisely takes the option of giving the driverless becker a wide berth when close to becker,but then n delany on a following horse seemed to think  its a good idea to pocket becker in close to the track markers.So delany improves to ahead of becker and starts running in on him.

so as delany does that, you get this line of 4 horses,the widest being driven by c hackett who had galloped at the start. The c hackett seems to be unhappy about running wider due to the driverless horse, so she angles her horse in,dictating j dunns line who in turn has no option but to dictate n delanys line,as hes inside him.

now, of course,you could see what was going to happen as this  unfolded.

whats going to happen to poor old becker,who's still inside n delany as delany was trying to,well i'm not sure to be honest.

what does happen.Becker gets forced over the markers ,tries to avoid them but has nowhere to go as hackett and delany are both electing to cut him off,and becker frantically tries to stay on his feet, but eventually falls and makes slight contact  with delany on the way down.

personally i felt quite sorry for the horse as none of it was his fault.

there were some very unusual driving tactics in that race ,thats for sure.

my guess though is the stipes report will say,no driver was to blame,even though there was.

Edited Tuesday at 03:01 AM by the galah

[Forbury]

51 minutes ago, the galah said:

race 5 at hawera today. You had to feel sorry for the horse becker.

shortly after the start it appears the horse(i'm all in-k coppins), drawn to its outside is allowed to drift in slightly and its back leg makes contact with beckers sulky,causing i'm all in to gallop,then that horse runs in when in a gallop and then this time its front leg makes significant contact with beckers sulky catipulting the driver of becker out of the sulky and giving her little option but to let go .

so becker starts off running around after the 3 horses in front of it as another 3 behind it chase just behind it.

but waits theres more.

down the back straight the horse nearest to becker driven by j dunn jnr, wisely takes the option of giving the driverless becker a wide berth when close to becker,but then n delany on a following horse seemed to think  its a good idea to pocket becker in close to the track markers.So delany improves to ahead of becker and starts running in on him.

so as delany does that, you get this line of 4 horses,the widest being driven by c hackett who had galloped at the start. The c hackett seems to be unhappy about running wider due to the driverless horse, so she angles her horse in,dictating j dunns line who in turn has no option but to dictate n delanys line,as hes inside him.

now, of course,you could see what was going to happen as this  unfolded.

whats going to happen to poor old becker,who's still inside n delany as delany was trying to,well i'm not sure to be honest.

what does happen.Becker gets forced over the markers ,tries to avoid them but has nowhere to go as hackett and delany are both electing to cut him off,and becker frantically tries to stay on his feet, but eventually falls and makes slight contact  with delany on the way down.

personally i felt quite sorry for the horse as none of it was his fault.

there were some very unusual driving tactics in that race ,thats for sure.

my guess though is the stipes report will say,no driver was to blame,even though there was.

The use less stewards failed in there duty of care put the life's of the drivers and horses at risk!  As it happened at the start the race should of been called off and rerun.The stewards are paid nothing they are just useless. In France race gets called off and rerun! They do not put the horses and drivers at risk of injury or death

[Brodie]

25 minutes ago, Forbury said:

The use less stewards failed in there duty of care put the life's of the drivers and horses at risk!  As it happened at the start the race should of been called off and rerun.The stewards are paid nothing they are just useless. In France race gets called off and rerun! They do not put the horses and drivers at risk of injury or death

It appeared that several of the drivers thought the race was going to be called off by their actions!

Personally think it should have been but then I am not a stipe.

Think Becker may have stood on the loose reins down the back straight.

[the galah]

40 minutes ago, Brodie said:

It appeared that several of the drivers thought the race was going to be called off by their actions!

Personally think it should have been but then I am not a stipe.

Think Becker may have stood on the loose reins down the back straight.

i watched the race many times before posting.

the reins were out the back and don't see the reins being a factor in why becker fell..

i think its prety clear becker got cut off by delany wanting to do so about 100m before falling,not sure what on earth delany was thinking.

then c hackett doing the same just prior to becker falling,without any apparent thought of what was happening inside her.

things like that shouldn't happen,but they do up there. i have said a few times,i think its an indication of lack of oversight by those in control and maybe inexperience and sometimes like today,just lack of common sense.

1 hour ago, Forbury said:

The use less stewards failed in there duty of care put the life's of the drivers and horses at risk!  As it happened at the start the race should of been called off and rerun.The stewards are paid nothing they are just useless. In France race gets called off and rerun! They do not put the horses and drivers at risk of injury or death

the stewards could have called it off,but really who could have anticipated the driving of those involved in becker falling.

Edited Tuesday at 05:01 AM by the galah

[the galah]

7 hours ago, the galah said:

 

my guess though is the stipes report will say,no driver was to blame,even though there was.

well the stewards reports for the north island are always predictable.

as i predicted,todays report completely ignored the main factors in firstly,why becker lost its driver, then was knocked to the ground later in the race..

lets just analyse the stipes report and what it ommited.

1)it says becker broke shortly after the start and shifted in.It ommits to say, i'm all in,had shited in albeit not  a major inward movement,but still enough for the horse i'm all in's,hind leg to contact the sulky wheel of becker.It was that contact that lead to im all in  galloping,as what horse wouldn't when its leg action has been significantly impeded by a sulky wheel. You can actually stop the video and it shows that. If you don't believe you can see that on the video then ask yourself why does the stipes report note that im all in was treated for a laceration to the leg that i say made contact with the sulky. Its obvious where and when the contact was made,yet the stipes ignore that.

2)the stipes gave advice to j dunn for the manner in which he drove. What the heck did they do that for. Was he not just trying to avoid the runner with no driver. 

3)Why did they not question n delany for the manner in which he drove. What on earth was delany doing,becuase there is no doubt whatsover that he contributed to becker falling.

4)why did they not question c ahckett,because it was very obvious that she also contributed significantly to becker falling by forcing the horses inside her onto becker and making him fall.

5)the stipes report noted becker  jumped track markers near the 900m. Well duh,why was he jumping track markers.it was obvious.it was because the drivers outside him deliberately drove in a manner that forced becker to jump the markers

now i've got better things i could be doing than pointing out just how incomplete(being diplomatic with that word) that stipes report was.

i've said it before and this latest example again illustrates what i say about the north island stipes.

they often overlook what some drivers do and because of their failure to give proper guidance and oversight to the juniors in the north isalnd,the standards of driving is poor when compared with the south island who have proper oversight.

drivers,whether they be inexperienced or not,should still have an obligation to think of safety,not only for the drivers,but also the horsesThat did not happen today and the stipes in charge turned a blind eye.

the only driver who considered safety and i believe showed common sense was j dunn,yet he was the only driver they spoke to about the manner he drove.

 

Edited Tuesday at 10:39 AM by the galah

[Nowornever]

How this race was not called off or horses who were badly hampered not late scratched is anybody's guess.

These days if a horse falls at most tracks and continues running in the field the race is called off immediately. Guess they didn't get the memo at Hawera. 

To me it looked like Kate Coppins was more interested in looking at what other drivers closer to the fence were doing rather than steering her own horse straight and in doing that drifted into the horse Becker causing her own horse to gallop and dislodge Beckers driver. I thought she would have gotten a holiday for the drive. 

I would like to see the head on for clarification.

[Nowornever]

It is interesting to note the stewards for Hawera were K Coppins (Chairman), S Mulcay, C Lomey, B Bateup  

 

 

[Gammalite]

10 hours ago, the galah said:

well the stewards reports for the north island are always predictable.

as i predicted,todays report completely ignored the main factors in firstly,why becker lost its driver, then was knocked to the ground later in the race..

lets just analyse the stipes report and what it ommited.

1)it says becker broke shortly after the start and shifted in.It ommits to say, i'm all in,had shited in albeit not  a major inward movement,but still enough for the horse i'm all in's,hind leg to contact the sulky wheel of becker.It was that contact that lead to im all in  galloping,as what horse wouldn't when its leg action has been significantly impeded by a sulky wheel. You can actually stop the video and it shows that. If you don't believe you can see that on the video then ask yourself why does the stipes report note that im all in was treated for a laceration to the leg that i say made contact with the sulky. Its obvious where and when the contact was made,yet the stipes ignore that.

2)the stipes gave advice to j dunn for the manner in which he drove. What the heck did they do that for. Was he not just trying to avoid the runner with no driver. 

3)Why did they not question n delany for the manner in which he drove. What on earth was delany doing,becuase there is no doubt whatsover that he contributed to becker falling.

4)why did they not question c ahckett,because it was very obvious that she also contributed significantly to becker falling by forcing the horses inside her onto becker and making him fall.

5)the stipes report noted becker  jumped track markers near the 900m. Well duh,why was he jumping track markers.it was obvious.it was because the drivers outside him deliberately drove in a manner that forced becker to jump the markers

now i've got better things i could be doing than pointing out just how incomplete(being diplomatic with that word) that stipes report was.

i've said it before and this latest example again illustrates what i say about the north island stipes.

they often overlook what some drivers do and because of their failure to give proper guidance and oversight to the juniors in the north isalnd,the standards of driving is poor when compared with the south island who have proper oversight.

drivers,whether they be inexperienced or not,should still have an obligation to think of safety,not only for the drivers,but also the horsesThat did not happen today and the stipes in charge turned a blind eye.

the only driver who considered safety and i believe showed common sense was j dunn,yet he was the only driver they spoke to about the manner he drove.

 

well another damning report from the Galah , to go along with Brodie's constant critical analysis of HRNZ, Entain, ATC and North Island racing , and feature racing and anything else that encompasses Nz Harness racing, including the Programmer and the Starter . you Might as well throw the Stipes on the bon-fire as well and the North Island Junior drivers. 😂 . nobody can do anything properly in NZ according to you 2 blokes ?? 🤣 

Those juniors (except Delaney who doesn't drive much) seem ok in their records , and accusing them of not thinking of safety is a bit harsh. I'm sure they're better than that? and Coppins just won 5 races the first day at Hawera. Don't see you guys congratulating that fine effort ?lol.  🤭 probably Not good enough 😉 

But on a more reflective note , since you feel sorry for BECKER getting the run around and  nearly hitting the grass twice in one race, here's a funny 'Bit of a Yarn' just for you. 40 years ago almost to the day Feb 86' , the original BECKER was exported to Aus as a maiden from the North island. The purchaser hoping the horse by sire 'Lonero' might have a fraction of the ability of the Australian Derby winner that year in My Lightning Blue (probably the only good horse by Lonero ever😎 , and went on and won the NZ Cup)  But BECKER was one of those horses that couldn't win , even though we were running slow 2.04-2.08 mile rates those days , and had about 30 seconds in race career from memory and only 1 or 2 wins. He was backed off the map at his first start in Aus after arriving ( to win about 40k 💰 I think it was from the Bookies. I remember helping get some of it on ) at some country obscure maiden race. but the Bugger Becker galloped at the start and lost about 40m 🙄, then battled back into it and ran 2nd. No collect lol. A real flopparooney was the old BECKER. they never recovered the purchase price on that horse. He was a bad buy.  A real slow one lol. just the sort you could send to Hawera ? to flop around lol . 40 years on . a 'Becker' memory revived lol 😂

[Nowornever]

1 hour ago, Gammalite said:

Might as well throw the Stipes on the bon-fire as well

Seems they are doing quite well shooting themselves in the foot without having to throw them on the bonfire.

[the galah]

5 hours ago, Nowornever said:

It is interesting to note the stewards for Hawera were K Coppins (Chairman), S Mulcay, C Lomey, B Bateup  

 

 

i'm not sure,but think if they are related he may be her uncle.

gamma mentioned n delany.He had a reasonable record when diving 3 or 4 years ago

But these days he reminds me of the mother in law.She drives with her foot hard on the acclerator punctuated by lots of  strong braking. Just like the car the mother in law drives,any horse delaney drives won't get many miles to the gallon.

as to the c hackett drive. that drive of hers yeaterday reminded me of the mother in laws driving when she had a stiff neck and didn't bother looking to see whats inside her when changing lanes. Only difference was becker had no horn to toot to tell her he was going to crash if she kept coming.

[Brodie]

6 hours ago, Gammalite said:

well another damning report from the Galah , to go along with Brodie's constant critical analysis of HRNZ, Entain, ATC and North Island racing , and feature racing and anything else that encompasses Nz Harness racing, including the Programmer and the Starter . you Might as well throw the Stipes on the bon-fire as well and the North Island Junior drivers. 😂 . nobody can do anything properly in NZ according to you 2 blokes ?? 🤣 

Those juniors (except Delaney who doesn't drive much) seem ok in their records , and accusing them of not thinking of safety is a bit harsh. I'm sure they're better than that? and Coppins just won 5 races the first day at Hawera. Don't see you guys congratulating that fine effort ?lol.  🤭 probably Not good enough 😉 

But on a more reflective note , since you feel sorry for BECKER getting the run around and  nearly hitting the grass twice in one race, here's a funny 'Bit of a Yarn' just for you. 40 years ago almost to the day Feb 86' , the original BECKER was exported to Aus as a maiden from the North island. The purchaser hoping the horse by sire 'Lonero' might have a fraction of the ability of the Australian Derby winner that year in My Lightning Blue (probably the only good horse by Lonero ever😎 , and went on and won the NZ Cup)  But BECKER was one of those horses that couldn't win , even though we were running slow 2.04-2.08 mile rates those days , and had about 30 seconds in race career from memory and only 1 or 2 wins. He was backed off the map at his first start in Aus after arriving ( to win about 40k 💰 I think it was from the Bookies. I remember helping get some of it on ) at some country obscure maiden race. but the Bugger Becker galloped at the start and lost about 40m 🙄, then battled back into it and ran 2nd. No collect lol. A real flopparooney was the old BECKER. they never recovered the purchase price on that horse. He was a bad buy.  A real slow one lol. just the sort you could send to Hawera ? to flop around lol . 40 years on . a 'Becker' memory revived lol 😂

Gamma, forums are for discussion and to be fair the ones you mentioned are far from perfect!

Every comment from Brodie is made with the sole purpose of improving harness racing so that it can continue in the future!

I do not believe that we should be accepting of mediocrity if racing is to continue!

 

[Gammalite]

6 hours ago, Brodie said:

Gamma, forums are for discussion and to be fair the ones you mentioned are far from perfect!

Every comment from Brodie is made with the sole purpose of improving harness racing so that it can continue in the future!

I do not believe that we should be accepting of mediocrity if racing is to continue!

 

Fancy calling the great sport in NZ mediocre. Never before have the horses gone so fast , and races run for money than ever before with MANY great incentives like Slot races and that. The horsepeople some of the most experienced and Respected on the planet.  Alas the Aussies have plundered them past 3 years because of the AMAZING NZ racing put on by the Amazing HRNZ.  

No ones perfect Brodster. But one should appreciate the efforts of the people involved in the industry as much as criticise them.  Rules and regulations are in place for a Reason. Stake money is allocated at certain rates for a reason (that is unfortunately beyond your understanding) The ratings system for horses is applied For a reason. 

They've been formed over 100 years. The NZ harness community and it's racing and it's participants are World Class already. Some of the greatest horsemen in the world (and horses) are from NewZealand and are that because of the great conditions that were supplied by the clubs and HRNZ to give them that opportunity. Your criticism doesn't improve anything 'Jack shit' to be honest. 😂  Chief doesn't even bother writing to you now. you've killed the sport. 

just hangs shit on heaps of kiwis doing their jobs. Not everyone does there job the same as the next person. 

SOMETIMES you just have to Accept the Decision that is made by Stipes , or by a driver, or by a bookie , or why they have mile racing (there's the obvious answer to that you just refuse to understand)  or why they have Betting limits (which is actually so obvious, it slaps everyone in the face like a wet fish ) except you old mate. under the rock .lol 😉🍋😁

[Brodie]

7 hours ago, Gammalite said:

Fancy calling the great sport in NZ mediocre. Never before have the horses gone so fast , and races run for money than ever before with MANY great incentives like Slot races and that. The horsepeople some of the most experienced and Respected on the planet.  Alas the Aussies have plundered them past 3 years because of the AMAZING NZ racing put on by the Amazing HRNZ.  

No ones perfect Brodster. But one should appreciate the efforts of the people involved in the industry as much as criticise them.  Rules and regulations are in place for a Reason. Stake money is allocated at certain rates for a reason (that is unfortunately beyond your understanding) The ratings system for horses is applied For a reason. 

They've been formed over 100 years. The NZ harness community and it's racing and it's participants are World Class already. Some of the greatest horsemen in the world (and horses) are from NewZealand and are that because of the great conditions that were supplied by the clubs and HRNZ to give them that opportunity. Your criticism doesn't improve anything 'Jack shit' to be honest. 😂  Chief doesn't even bother writing to you now. you've killed the sport. 

just hangs shit on heaps of kiwis doing their jobs. Not everyone does there job the same as the next person. 

SOMETIMES you just have to Accept the Decision that is made by Stipes , or by a driver, or by a bookie , or why they have mile racing (there's the obvious answer to that you just refuse to understand)  or why they have Betting limits (which is actually so obvious, it slaps everyone in the face like a wet fish ) except you old mate. under the rock .lol 😉🍋😁

Gamma, I didnt say that NZ harness racing is mediocre at all!

What I was saying is that there are mediocre decisions being made that is going to affect harness racings future!

The TAB was given a lifeline with the $900m cash input from Entain and in my mind, they are blowing the opportunity.

Gamma, at the end of the guaranteed five years of the money from Entain, how do you think that the harness industry has been improved?

Are you confident that stake money will hold up and where do you see harness racing going financially?

[the galah]

5 hours ago, Brodie said:

Gamma, at the end of the guaranteed five years of the money from Entain, how do you think that the harness industry has been improved?

Are you confident that stake money will hold up and where do you see harness racing going financially?

they are the questions gamma never really addresses.

and this thread,like most in which we comment,are based around specific incidents or decision making.

the subject of this topic,the becker incident i truly believe deserved a long suspension for c hacket and a reprimand for n delany.

you can only judge on what happened and in this case i believe hacket showed a total disregard for the safety of the horses and drivers to her inside. .

the horse fell over for a reason. You can't just ignore that and say,oh,they drive a lot of winners so no harm done.

if i owned becker,i would be ropeable,more so at the stipes for their inaction,than the actual drivers concerned.drivers make mistakes,no one has an intent to knock anyone over,but when they do,they need to be held accountable.Incidents like that can sometimes be career ending for the horse.

The stipes would have had the head on and i would guarantee it would have been even more blatantly obvious.

I have been saying,for some time in posts on here,that there is an obvious lack of oversight and guidance by the stipes,as regards some of the junior drivers in the north island and that it will lead to driving that shouldn't happen occurring.

so gamma,obviously when i see my predictions coming true,i'm going to point it out.

 

Edited Thursday at 12:26 AM by the galah

[Brodie]

1 hour ago, the galah said:

they are the questions gamma never really addresses.

and this thread,like most in which we comment,are based around specific incidents or decision making.

the subject of this topic,the becker incident i truly believe deserved a long suspension for c hacket and a reprimand for n delany.

you can only judge on what happened and in this case i believe hacket showed a total disregard for the safety of the horses and drivers to her inside. .

the horse fell over for a reason. You can't just ignore that and say,oh,they drive a lot of winners so no harm done.

if i owned becker,i would be ropeable,more so at the stipes for their inaction,than the actual drivers concerned.drivers make mistakes,no one has an intent to knock anyone over,but when they do,they need to be held accountable.Incidents like that can sometimes be career ending for the horse.

The stipes would have had the head on and i would guarantee it would have been even more blatantly obvious.

I have been saying,for some time in posts on here,that there is an obvious lack of oversight and guidance by the stipes,as regards some of the junior drivers in the north island and that it will lead to driving that shouldn't happen occurring.

so gamma,obviously when i see my predictions coming true,i'm going to point it out.

 

Galah, you are correct that the galloping at the start was caused solely by Kate Coppins continuing to look inside her.

She shouldve been looking forward rather than sideways and Becker would not have been severely interfered with from Kate Coppins drive.

Yes she shouldve beed suspended and fined no doubt about  that!

They think it far better to nail drivers who use the whip intent on wanting to win a race?

Nathan Delaney shouldve been warned for his drive, probably lack of driving skill on his behalf here?

 

 

[the galah]

22 minutes ago, Brodie said:

Galah, you are correct that the galloping at the start was caused solely by Kate Coppins continuing to look inside her.

She shouldve been looking forward rather than sideways and Becker would not have been severely interfered with from Kate Coppins drive.

Yes she shouldve beed suspended and fined no doubt about  that!

They think it far better to nail drivers who use the whip intent on wanting to win a race?

Nathan Delaney shouldve been warned for his drive, probably lack of driving skill on his behalf here?

 

 

thats pretty much what nowornever thought as well.fair enough, personally i think k coppins driving early on was at the lower end of carelessness,but still careless and the resulting consequences were bad.

the worst driving was by hacket. 

to think,the stipes chose to ignore the drivers that contributed to both nasty incidents,instead chosing to speak to the one driver who contributed nothing towards the incidents.

Edited Thursday at 01:59 AM by the galah

[Gammalite]

On 1/22/2026 at 10:22 AM, the galah said:

you can only judge on what happened and in this case i believe hacket showed a total disregard for the safety of the horses and drivers to her inside. .

the horse fell over for a reason. You can't just ignore that and say,oh,they drive a lot of winners so no harm done.

The look of the video is what Brodster mentioned very early in this thread . The reins are dangling everywhere on the ground after Holly tried to Hang on for 40m after being tipped out. 

That's is outrageously dangerous to start off with. Let alone the horse 'Having No Steering' thereafter and just going wherever it feels . With NO Driver the Horse is NOT going to steer around the track pylons is it? The Stewards report said it jumped one to nearly fall. Why blame this on another driver ?  Suspensions ? really ? they're trying to win a race , and not concentrate on what a driverless horse is doing. 

You should of seen how many Incidents were in every Junior drivers race in the 80's in those 14 horse fields (usually of low class 'Not so well gaited' horses who were in a junior race for a reason) The reason being they weren't very good lol 😂. and those races were organized CHAOS as a result. Good for a laugh though.  I used to just try and follow Tony Herlihy, the master who had a knack of winning and staying out of trouble. Nearly beat him once too😁. but he is just too good.  

I agree with NoworNever earlier too, Whom had said the race should of been called off instantly. By the Stewards. A dangerous situation developed right at the start , and most races are Stopped these days the moment a driver is lost from a sulky' early in the race. seems the best idea to avoid potential disaster.  

[the galah]

4 hours ago, Gammalite said:

 

That's is outrageously dangerous to start off with. Let alone the horse 'Having No Steering' thereafter and just going wherever it feels . With NO Driver the Horse is NOT going to steer around the track pylons is it? The Stewards report said it jumped one to nearly fall. Why blame this on another driver ?  Suspensions ? really ? they're trying to win a race , and not concentrate on what a driverless horse is doing. 

 

the best way to judge what happened is simple enough.Just look at the video gamma.. 

the video  shows the driverless horse followed a straight line for at least 200m ,maintaining the same inside running line as those in front of it for that 200m, prior to being forced to run over the markers as a result of the way c hackett drove.

its not over complicated. Its what happened.

as to your suggestion drivers should focus on winning the race and show no awareness of what a driverless horse is doing to her inside.Thats very reckless and will result in accidents happening.If you want an example of that,go watch the race inquestion.

and you seem to be inferring becker,the horse, saw the markers,had the choice of running beside them unimpeded or jumping them and decided  jumping them was the best option them .what?.

and when you said no driverless horse is going to run around a track against the markers without a driver. Well,the best way to see what a horse will do,is simple. Just watch what it does..

While i haven't had much experience of that,i can certainly tell you,the last couple of times i had a loose horse,it went out onto the track,did a couple of rounds against the markers then just came over to say hullo again while i waited for it to stop.. I've never had a driverless one evertake the option of  jumping pylons. You would know that type of thing would only happen if the cart is not upright and the horse is panicing.horses aren't stupid..

anyways,your a loyal supporter of anyone and anything north island based,but i think its better to judge things on a case by case basis.

and just because a race isn't called off when that may have been the best option,does not in any way  green light  subsequent dangerous driving.

Edited 19 hours ago by the galah

[Gammalite]

29 minutes ago, the galah said:

and you seem to be inferring becker,the horse, saw the markers,had the choice of running beside them unimpeded or jumping them and decided  jumping them was the best option them .what?.

horses are notorious for tangling once they get away on the driver. 

Horses behaviour is quite uncontrolled at this stage. 

31 minutes ago, the galah said:

and when you said no driverless horse is going to run around a track against the markers without a driver. Well,the best way to see what a horse will do,is simple. Just watch what it does..

The driver steers the horse around markers . not the horse itself. Of course with no pressure on the reigns the horse will go 'Anywhere' . 

Didn't you see Tony Herlihy on that Cullen runner that snapped a reign in the Group 1 Christian Cullen Cup week. ?? He was just on a ride to no-where after that. Horse nearly took John Dunn out with it as it went cross country on the inside at the Addington Back straight. and it still had the driver . I thought it was gunna hit the light pole for sure. 

Anyway , throw the book at the Juniors if you think it would help 🤣. I don't think it was/or would help . 🤭🍋

Here's a poor bugger without the driver in photo  . a beautiful animal too.  Can you pick him ???  

Ran 4th chasing the field in this very Big Final even without his driver  . probably win it if managed to keep driver 😉 lol. What a trier he was !! 🏆😎  

[Brodie]

1 hour ago, Gammalite said:

horses are notorious for tangling once they get away on the driver. 

Horses behaviour is quite uncontrolled at this stage. 

The driver steers the horse around markers . not the horse itself. Of course with no pressure on the reigns the horse will go 'Anywhere' . 

Didn't you see Tony Herlihy on that Cullen runner that snapped a reign in the Group 1 Christian Cullen Cup week. ?? He was just on a ride to no-where after that. Horse nearly took John Dunn out with it as it went cross country on the inside at the Addington Back straight. and it still had the driver . I thought it was gunna hit the light pole for sure. 

Anyway , throw the book at the Juniors if you think it would help 🤣. I don't think it was/or would help . 🤭🍋

Here's a poor bugger without the driver in photo  . a beautiful animal too.  Can you pick him ???  

Ran 4th chasing the field in this very Big Final even without his driver  . probably win it if managed to keep driver 😉 lol. What a trier he was !! 🏆😎  

Paleface Adios

[the galah]

2 hours ago, Gammalite said:

horses are notorious for tangling once they get away on the driver. 

Horses behaviour is quite uncontrolled at this stage. 

 

like i keep saying, you need to base your assesment on what played out.

not what horses  may or may not do,just base the analysis on what did happen.

2 hours ago, Gammalite said:

 

The driver steers the horse around markers . not the horse itself. Of course with no pressure on the reigns the horse will go 'Anywhere' . 

 

And besides,using your own argument,that a horse will go anywhere with no driver, then can't you see your contradicting yourself.

in other words theres 2 parts of your argument.

1)That the horse could have veered off in any direction.

2)that hacket and delany took the best option by getting so close to becker,because getting close to a horse that can veer off in any direction, is  the smart thing to do.Contradictory,isn't it.

2 hours ago, Gammalite said:

 

Didn't you see Tony Herlihy on that Cullen runner that snapped a reign in the Group 1 Christian Cullen Cup week. ?? He was just on a ride to no-where after that. Horse nearly took John Dunn out with it as it went cross country on the inside at the Addington Back straight. and it still had the driver . I thought it was gunna hit the light pole for sure. 

 

so,herlihy had a rein detach from the bridle when driving harrison john,so that left him with only a rein to steer with,so it was herlihy placing weight on the inside rein which saw harrison john run in,not the horse chosing to run in.

And when  you say you were worried about herlihy hitting a light pole,i think you are just pulling my leg,.No horse is going to run into a big pole head on. Put simply,horses aren't that stupid.In all the years of racing anywhere,can you give even one instance of a horse running head on into a lighting pole? 

anyways,i will leave it at that.

Edited 16 hours ago by the galah

[Gammalite]

56 minutes ago, the galah said:

And when  you say you were worried about herlihy hitting a light pole,i think you are just pulling my leg,.No horse is going to run into a big pole head on. Put simply,horses aren't that stupid.In all the years of racing anywhere,can you give even one instance of a horse running head on into a lighting pole? 

No , but horses that are loose PANIC mate. You know this. I know this . Quite often they get loose at the gallops and crash into rails and all sorts of things can happen. some even try and hurdle the rails to get out there. they hit things alright. 

 

1 hour ago, the galah said:

in other words theres 2 parts of your argument.

1)That the horse could have veered off in any direction

 and don't they ever. Horses usually get a FRIGHT when losing their driver. Driving races is nearly a Fright and flight response we get from horses to make them go anyway. they take flight on most occasions. 

1 hour ago, the galah said:

you say you were worried about herlihy hitting a light pole,i think you are just pulling my leg,.No horse is going to run into a big pole head on. Put simply,horses aren't that stupid

Horses are pretty stupid when making the decisions themselves mate. this is for sure. Most get on the steel (bit) early and just want to get the race over and done with. I had a nice mare from NZ that got tipped out in a race in a bad accident at Albion. Her driver was badly injured and the horse continued until it caught the field and piled straight into the back of someone and crashed to the track . Sly Davita was never the same after that and was a real shame as just about had her running 2 mins at the time , and was a basket case after. 

Horses would pile into things all the time if running loose Mr Galah , especially in a race . They've got no idea they're climbing over a wheel until they actually do it. Every race the driver will stop them from doing this. You know this ?

so to be honest I've seen horses hit lots of things . a pole would be different but certainly not out of the realms of possibilities lol 🤣😎 afterall How many stupid car drivers lose control and hit poles All the time for one reason or another. (fate and luck sometimes) I see a horse as no different when out of human control. 

p.s my dad got a fractured skull in a race at Brighton once and was in a coma for 4 days , but luckily his horse got home safely after going out the service tractor gate , and a kilometre up the road to her stables , where she was trained from near that track, and even got the sulky' turned around in her stall (somehow when it was wider than the open stall door 😮 , and had her head in the feedtin in the corner getting her after race meal , trying to eat it with the bit in her mouth still a bit of a challenge lol 🤣  bit of a miracle she didn't hit any poles on the way though ? 👍😉  

[Gammalite]

3 hours ago, the galah said:

Put simply,horses aren't that stupid.In all the years of racing anywhere,can you give even one instance of a horse running head on into a lighting pole?

and put simply , and to finally wins the arguement with logic you can Not possibly argue with 😎👍

here it is. Of course horses are stupid and run into things. If it wasn't for the driver Several Horses per race would pile straight into the BARRIER Arm of the mobile . right in front of their face. 

Yes mate, there's plenty of stupid ones. I've seen hundreds hit the mobile (several on me) over the years and it would be thousands of the horse was without a driver . there's plenty of stupid ones 🤣🏆😋  Tony Herlihy would of been hoping and praying the horse could see the light pole coming up in front of him . Harrison John I think the horse was.

so no light poles were harmed old mate, but PLENTY of Mobile Barrier arms have been . horses running head first straight into them . Case closed !!!!!  . thanks ball boys thanks ball girls  

[the galah]

13 hours ago, Gammalite said:

No , but horses that are loose PANIC mate. You know this. I know this . Quite often they get loose at the gallops and crash into rails and all sorts of things can happen. some even try and hurdle the rails to get out there. they hit things alright. 

 

 and don't they ever. Horses usually get a FRIGHT when losing their driver. Driving races is nearly a Fright and flight response we get from horses to make them go anyway. they take flight on most occasions. 

Horses are pretty stupid when making the decisions themselves mate. this is for sure. Most get on the steel (bit) early and just want to get the race over and done with. I had a nice mare from NZ that got tipped out in a race in a bad accident at Albion. Her driver was badly injured and the horse continued until it caught the field and piled straight into the back of someone and crashed to the track . Sly Davita was never the same after that and was a real shame as just about had her running 2 mins at the time , and was a basket case after. 

Horses would pile into things all the time if running loose Mr Galah , especially in a race . They've got no idea they're climbing over a wheel until they actually do it. Every race the driver will stop them from doing this. You know this ?

so to be honest I've seen horses hit lots of things . a pole would be different but certainly not out of the realms of possibilities lol 🤣😎 afterall How many stupid car drivers lose control and hit poles All the time for one reason or another. (fate and luck sometimes) I see a horse as no different when out of human control. 

p.s my dad got a fractured skull in a race at Brighton once and was in a coma for 4 days , but luckily his horse got home safely after going out the service tractor gate , and a kilometre up the road to her stables , where she was trained from near that track, and even got the sulky' turned around in her stall (somehow when it was wider than the open stall door 😮 , and had her head in the feedtin in the corner getting her after race meal , trying to eat it with the bit in her mouth still a bit of a challenge lol 🤣  bit of a miracle she didn't hit any poles on the way though ? 👍😉  

the horses i have must be smarter than the horses you know as mine are quite smart.I've got one that smart that i always tell my wife,i wish it had been around when i was doing my school homework as i would have got better marks ,had it been there.

then we have  another one. the last time i had one get loose,i was out of the cart adjusting some gear and then i  half tripped when it pulled foward as i was swapping sides . I just let it go as i thought i'm too old to get dragged and no big deal,it will just go back to the stables and no one else was there. But instead it  went and did its fast work against the pylons,running the 2 rounds like i normally did. I have to say it didn't over exert itself.Lazy bugga.Then as i waited near the entrance thinking it might run off when it was finished,but it pulled up just after the post,like i normally did,turned around slowly and just stood there facing me, waiting for me to take the reins and jump back in the cart. 

gee that was a bad accident your dad had. that must have been a frighterning thing for your family.

what happened with your horse sly davita was an example of just how horses can be impacted by falls.Life isn't always fair.

thats why i feel for the connections of the horse becker. Who knows,the horse may be ruined for life,then again it may bounce back as it was a fall on grass.

we had one,the horse we were following got badly checked , almost went down and then we got ploughed into from behind. My horse did a remarkable job not to fall,but she pulled some muscle in her rear end and it took 8 months before she came sound again. I myself had a sore neck for a year .

Horses are fragile when they fall. people are fragile.safety should always be prioritised.thats been my point

Edited 2 hours ago by the galah