Flat horse racing whether on the turf or all-weather surface uses Steriline starting stalls. These are used to help position horses in a standardised, positioned in their allotted stall, and start on equal terms.
Horses have to be educated at home so they are confident about being stalled which can seem claustrophobic and noisy. Also, horses are in close proximity to each other and if becoming unsettled can set off horses in adjoining stalls. Horse handlers lead the horses to their stall, odds numbers first, while some trainers may ask for their horse to be entered last because they may be nervous or had problems in the past. If a horse fails to enter the stalls on three occasions it will need a stalls test which has to be passed to continue its racing career. Some horses are so nervous of the stalls, perhaps from a bad experience, they simply never feel confident entering the stalls. It may lead to some horses being banished from racing.
In general, starting stalls are used. However, on turf or if the stalls malfunction on the all-weather they may not be used especially if conditions are testing such as heavy going where it may be impossible to manoeuvre the starting stalls to different points on the racecourse with regard to the race distance. Also, there may be a fear the stalls get stuck in the mud or damage the course and bring about further concerns.
If the starting stalls cannot be used then a flag start is the only option. By all accounts it is a standing start. This is far from ideal especially over a short distance such as five furlongs and particularly with younger horses as they are difficult to control. In essence, the horses are positioned by their jockey with regard to their allotted draw, however, this seems less regimented simply because it is difficult if not an impossible task. The jockeys are called into position and the starter will lower the flag for the race to begin. If a horse or horses start too fast it my be deemed a false start and the horses are called back. This is unlikely to happen because there is no such thing as a perfect start when using the flag. However, false starts do happen on occasions.
If betting, it is imperative you know it will be a flag start rather than using conventional stalls. I have seen many flag starts and some jockeys position their horses a good few metres behind the others (there seems no logic to this but it happens) and it is a huge disadvantage. I have seen horses facing in the wrong direction and the flag is still lowered to start the race and it wasn’t deemed a false start. For this reason you may be wise not to bet if a flag start is taken as you are gambling on the fact of your horse starting on level terms.
I’ve had a few bad experiences of betting on horses when a flag start is used. Last season, I bet on a two-year-old horse over five furlongs at Windsor when using a flag start. The jockey positioned his horse some ten metres behind the others. Then after a false start he did exactly the same thing again. The horse ran an excellent race but had little chance of winning. The stewards didn’t enquire to the running and it was considered satisfactory. I thought it was scandalous.
It should be noted that national hunt horses, which take part in bumper races, hurdles or steeplechases do not use stalls. This is because the horses run over much further distances so the advantage or disadvantage is minimal. Also, the horses being older are more educated are more compliant. In addition, as horses are much bigger and stronger they would need specially made stalls. The main reason for a flag start on the national hunt is that the going is more likely to be testing over the winter period.
Traditionally, all horse races were flag start. In fact, starting stalls were first trialled at Newmarket on the 8th July 1965. The race was won by a horse named Track Spare ridden by Lester Piggott. They were approved after first being successfully used at Chantilly, France.
The flag start for Flat racing can prove problematic but it is the lesser of two evils when you consider the other option is no racing.