Starting gate

A starting gate (also called start box ) is a machine that is used in horse racing and dog racing to allow a fair start in the race.

Horse Racing

The inventor of the electronic starting equipment is Clay Puett. He was a rider and starter on various racetracks in the West. Puetts invention replaced other starting methods, such as starting with a simple rope that was stretched and then pulled up or a start in which the horses were placed opposite to the running direction easily and at a flag signal around were torn and losgejagt, because it there was often violations of horse and rider.

Many current of Puetts machines are still used by racetracks around the world and are all based on Puetts original design. A start box is equipped with several boxes in a row, usually 12 or 14 boxes side by side. But smaller start boxes are, for example, for training of racehorses is used. But there are also larger starting boxes, which are used in races in which to start a large number of horses, such as the Kentucky Derby. Normally horses entered in the boxes from the back of the starting gate, then the box is closed behind them. The door on the front of the box is normally closed, but they can also be opened by order of the starter team if a horse refuses to enter the box. One can judge horses but also from the front of the box back in the box, if a horse is very restless.

The front door of each box is held closed by an electrical mechanism. The start boxes are designed so that they open when a horse tries to front or rear to leave the box in order to avoid injury to horse and rider.

If all horses are in their box, pressed the starter a button which simultaneously opens the door, a loud bell sound and can send a signal to the switch betting that the race has started and no more bets will be accepted.

Puetts starting gate was first in the Exhibition Park in Vancouver, British Columbia used 1939, although the management of Bay Meadows in San Mateo, California claims that Puetts start machine was first used by them. The end of 1940 starting gate was used almost everywhere in the United States Puetts. 1958 Clay Puett founded a new company, True Center Gate, in Phoenix, Arizona. True Center and Puetts original company ( first Puett Electric gate called ) probably have the most starting boxes in North America built. True Center has also built machines starting in South America, the Caribbean and Saudi Arabia.

During Start machines were common in flat races, they used in steeplechase still the outdated methods of starting.

Trotting

Before starting mobile machines were popular in harness racing, we used the " rolling start ". The horses had a certain number of circles to be driven, with the horses, if this maneuver was performed correctly, were aligned on a straight line. Whether a start was fair or not, was determined by stewards. If this decided that a starter was not in line with the other starters, a false start was declared and the race had to be restarted. Most of this process had to be carried out several times before a race could really start. Even today there are still those starts, but they are much rarer than start with the car.

The starts with the car came to the mid-20th century. This drives a car with two " metal wings " ( one on each side ) in front of the horses here, so that all horses can catch up with the wings, but often is the path is not wide enough to let all start starter next to each other, so there is a start are arranged in two rows. If the car has reached the starting line, is the driver of the car full throttle and works a metal wing. Once he has the opportunity, he travels from the web.

By the start with cars, although the false starts were drastically reduced, all they can be, however, even today not avoid. If a starter can not obtain a fair place in the starting field, he may start to cry as false start and the race is restarted.

Over time, this technique has been modernized so that the driver also has the box with a monitor in view and can decide for themselves whether everyone has equal starting opportunities has. This technique is used in every major race in Australia.

Dog Racing

In dog racing similar start boxes are used, as in horse racing. The dogs are pushed from behind into the boxes. There are windows through which the dogs can see the car and the bait on the front of the boxes.

If the bait is only a few meters from the speakers, they are opened. In contrast to the races but no signal is sent, that no more bets will be accepted, this is done by a steward, just before opening the boxes.

Start boxes normally consist of eight boxes, sometimes nine.