Flag Man

[Snagaltooth]

I was wondering if anyone knew the reason why there is still a Flag Man used at some tracks? I'm sure it's a throw back but with electric starting gates, do we really need them today?

[overdog]

If you can believe VERY old stories about racing, it first started when all horses lined up closest to the rope that dropped to start the race. (Rope was the very low-tech starting gate.)

Flag man was supposed to be at an advantageous angle to see that horse's chests were touching the rope and that no horse was blocked out from a path to the rope, nor was more than 1 length behind the rope. (Bit like the fair-start pole in harness racing.) If you watch old B&W film of races, the starts were chaotic to say the least.

Today it is supposed to mean that all horses are in the gate, their heads are straight, and a jock is aboard. Starters tend to be somewhat perpendicular to the gate and its hard to see horses more than a few gates away.

(I guess ideal setup would be for starter to be looking at a monitor showing the head-on view of the gate.)

Allegedly, bribing the starter or flag man was a time-honored tradition amongst early race fixers.

overdog
a.k.a. Fraser Rawlinson

[MVMcKee]

Most races (at least up here) are hand-timed in addition to the electric eye timer. This is used as a back up system in the event that there should be a problem with the teletimer. The flag man is used for purpose of signalling the person operating the stopwatch (usually located in a position with a clearview of the finish line) to start the watch when the flag is dropped. The flag is (theoretically) dropped as the first horse crosses the same point as the teletimer beam would be broken at.

[Snagaltooth]

WOW. You guys are full of it....information that is.:D

I guess there still is a reason for them. I was beginning to think it was a union job that no could get rid of.

Thanks for the info and follow up.