Starting the race
The starter of the Melbourne Cup works with an assistant and up to 10 barrier attendants to position the horses in the starting stalls. The starter then presses a button to open the gates and release the horses.
In the early days, races started with the horses simply lining up across the track. The starter yelled ‘Go!’ or dropped a flag to begin the race. Horses were often pushed out of the line, producing unfair starts and prompting the development of technology that helped jockeys control their horses on the start line.
From the 1890s, horses were lined up behind a rope barrier, which was raised to begin the race. By the 1950s many racecourses were using early versions of today’s barrier stalls. These were first used at the Melbourne Cup in 1958.
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The start barrier is positioned for the 2010 Melbourne Cup. A single structure comprising 24 stalls, it is one of the largest start barriers in the world.
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This model of a multiple-strand rope start barrier was made in the 1940s by Reuben Gray. Reuben’s father, Alexander, developed a pioneering single-strand start barrier. He was inspired to create the technology after Reuben, who worked as a jockey in his youth, received a fine for a false start. Reuben went on to develop the stronger multiple-strand start barrier.
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The starter of the 1898 Victoria Racing Club Derby at Flemington raises the rope barrier to start the race.