So far, so good(ish)

So far, so good(ish).  Two of the five runners down, two third places achieved.  Both (Sussex Girl at Brighton yesterday afternoon and Konigin at Yarmouth, pictured in the first photograph, last night) ran well.  Ran well without winning, but that's OK.  It's always OK if they run well, whether or not they win - as long as some of the horses who run well win.  It's like when a bowler is bowling well and is consistently beating the bat, good balls beating the bat but not taking the wicket don't matter, as long as he does actually take wickets at some point.  But, as I say, so far, so good(ish).

It's been lovely weather, but stormy weather is meant to move in over night, albeit while remaining very warm.  The forecasts seem to suggest that the worst of the rain will have been and gone (northwards) by around 6.00 in the morning.  I hope that that's right as the morning will be more pleasant if we aren't being rained on; my afternoon at Brighton (with Hidden Pearl) will be more pleasant if it isn't raining; and Ivona's evening at Chelmsford (with Sacred Sprite) will be more pleasant if it isn't raining.

Further good feedback from Neil Kearns at the end of the previous chapter, by the way.  Some good points there.  I'd be totally with you, Neil, about a proportion of Flat races being run without stalls. Definitely a proportion of maiden races, and arguably some for more experienced horses.  We seem to forget that racing seemed to cope without stalls for many, many years prior to their gradual introduction from the July Meeting in 1965 onwards.  Nowadays I think that it is only the Goodwood Stakes, a couple of 14-furlong handicaps at Salisbury and a conditions (possibly listed) race over the same course and distance.  Plus the occasion one when unexpectedly the weather makes it impractical to use the stalls.

Here's something to think about.  If stalls had not been introduced in 1965, would be be allowed to introduce them now?  I don't think that we would.  We're always looking for ways to make racing safer, so I can't see that we would be allowed nowadays to bring in an innovation which isn't necessary (witness the fact that racing functioned for centuries without stalls) and which clearly makes the game significantly more dangerous, both for the horses and their riders.  Every year there some serious accidents in the stalls; but when was there last a serious accident at a tape- or flag-start?  The odd incident of one horse kicking another, but I can't think of a fatality or serious injury for many years.