Xanadu,

I suspect that if anyone tried to do this the rider of the "Barrier 1" horse would be well within their rights to move over and cut the other one off - I would think the stewards would take a dim view of a rider trying to hunt up the inside before the first turn! Without knowing the exact circumstances it is hard to make any conclusions but there could have been a good reason for the starting arrangements - eg. given the rain affected track maybe there was a very soft patch near the inside rail that would have disadvantaged the inside runners if they started from their correct barriers? Surely in this case it is better to consult the riders and come up with an offset solution that gives each horse the best chance rather than just loading from Barrier 1 because that is what the punters expect? Just my opinion but I suspect you may be worrying too much about this - I doubt it was done to give anyone an advantage (as I said more likely to avoid a disadvantage to some runners and give everyone a fair start). I am sure the owners and jockeys would be kicking up a fuss if they felt it was a disadvantage to them (and they are no doubt in a better position than us to judge).

Just my 2c worth :smile:

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