In horse racing what is a flag start?

In horse racing, a flag start is employed when it is impossible, for whatever reason, to use starting stalls or a starting tape. In emergency circumstances, including, but not limited to, starting equipment failure, less than the requisite number of stalls handlers being available or the ground being sufficiently soft to prevent the manoeuvre of starting stalls, any race may be started by flag, subject to approval by the starter or stewards. During a flag start, the starter mounts the starting rostrum and, when he wants the horses to walk forward, he signals to the jockeys by raising his flag. Horses in the front rank must only walk, or jig jog, until the starter lowers his flag, thereby effecting the start of the race.

What is Godolphin?

 

Named after the Godolphin Arabian – one of the founders of modern thoroughbred bloodstock – Godolphin is the thoroughbred horse racing and breeding operation founded by Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum who, since 2006, has been the Ruler of Dubai. In Britain, Godolphin relies on trainers Saeed bin Suroor and Charlie Appleby, both of whom divide their years between Dubai and Newmarket, while the famous royal blue silks are most often worn by retained jockeys James Doyle and William Buick. At the last count, the Godolphin operation had produced 5,415 winners, including 297 Group One, or Grade One, winners, worldwide since 1992, at a strike rate of 20%.

In horse racing, what is a penalty?

In simple terms, in horse racing, a penalty is a disadvantage, or handicap, in the form of extra weight to be carried, imposed on a horse for winning a race under certain circumstances. In Group Two, Group Three and Listed races on the Flat, for example, penalties are incurred by horses that have won at the same, or higher, level within a certain period of time.

Usually after three runs on the Flat, or three runs over hurdles or fences, or a combination of the two, a horse qualifies for an official rating. The official rating represents the ability of the horse, according to a team of handicappers at the British Horseracing Authority (BHA), and is reassessed after each subsequent race.

If the horse wins, say, a handicap race – which each horse has a theoretically equal chance of winning – it must, logically, have performed better its current official rating so, when reassessed, its official rating will increase, typically by 6lb or 7lb. However, if the same horse if turned out again within the space of seven days – that is, before it has been reassessed by the BHA handicappers – it typically has to carry a standard penalty, of 6lb or 7lb, to allow for that fact.

What happens to racehorses when they retire?

Exactly what happens to a racehorse when its racing days are over varies widely from horse to horse. Horses bred in the purple, or those that have enjoyed successful racing careers, or both, may well be shipped off to stud to become stallions or broodmares at the end of their three-year-old campaigns. Other, less successful, horses, or those incapable of breeding – that is, castrated male horses, known as ‘geldings’ – may not have that option, but nevertheless end their racing careers while still mentally and physically fit.

The nature of thoroughbred racehorses dictates that they need expert care and attention but, in the right hands, they can be successfully retrained for a further career away from the racecourse. This could include any of the sports horse disciplines, such as dressage, eventing, polo or show jumping or, for a competent rider, as a hack or riding horse. The charity known as Retraining of Racehorses (RoR), which is funded, in part, by the British Horseracing Authority (BHA), supports five rehabilitation centres in Britain.

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