The dreaded Cheltenham start: If you turn around and obey the starter - it is often likely you will lose the race

The Cheltenham Festival places huge pressure on the shoulders of jockeys and the false starts this week have only compounded that issue.

On Wednesday, tempers were frayed at the start of the Turners Novices’ Hurdle as Nico de Boinville had strong words for Declan Queally when trying to secure a position before the off.

Declan Queally has since lodged a formal complaint to the British Horseracing Authority.

It is becoming a major issue now in my opinion. We are breeding horses to be faster making the jumps smaller and all of this has a knock on effect.

We are making changes so fast and often in racing but yet this elastic tape start is something from the stone age!

I’ve ridden jump horses in Australia and we started out of starting stalls with no issues at all, but that is an extreme example.

The danger of standing starts

I don't think it would work in Ireland or the UK but surely with all the money in our game we can come up with something more modern.

The issue with how we start the race is; jockeys want to be in the best possible position and when a starter is shouting NO at the jockeys and then decides to let the tape go, then riders lose confidence in what's happening.

If it's a standing start it is so dangerous and nearly impossible to get the start right.

You have a massive chance of getting kicked by another horse and that's when jockeys start getting angry.

If you turn around and obey the starter, it is sometimes likely you will lose the race.

As I'm writing this, there has been a false start in Race 1 of Thursday’s Cheltenham card and the second start was an absolute mess.

Punters lose out

It's not fair on punters if a jockey obeys the starter, another doesn't and the guy who follows the rules gets the biggest penalty, by being way too far back and out of position when the race starts.

We saw on tv Nico de Boinville and Declan Queally get heated at the start yesterday and I think it crossed a line but it all stems from the starting procedure.

Jockeys are paid to do the best for their owners and trainers or they will lose the ride on the horse, every single horse in Cheltenham is there with chances and expectations and you will see more pressure on the starts.

You rarely see too many issues outside of the Festivals but I am thinking it’s time we get this under control.

The pressure jockeys have on their shoulders in Cheltenham is not comparable to anything in this world and if nothing changes I can guarantee the starts will only get worse.