Starting Gate - Starting Into History
The starting gate, the long metal contraption comprised of stalls that horses jump from at the start of each race, is crucial to providing a fair and even start to all competitors. It can also be the place where a race is won or lost, based on a horse’s training and reaction time to the opening of the gate.
Clay Pruett invented the starting gate in 1939. With his magnificent invention, Pruett revolutionized racing around the world. The goal was to change the old way of starting a race to enhance and level the chances of all competitors. Before Pruett’s invention, races started behind a rope that was either lifted upward or downward onto the track. Another crucial aspect of the starting gate was the V-shaped stall, which Pruett patented in 1940.
The starting gate is opened by a mechanical mechanism, triggered by the official starter pushing a button. The starter oversees each person within the gate crew, the handlers who guide the racehorses into the starting stalls. The gate crew is responsible for horse and rider safety. They lead each horse into a stall with a leather lead that slips between the bit so that they can guide the horse forward. They then stand beside the horse on the ledges on the stall sides. They must be comfortable standing with a 1200 lb animal in a very tight, enclosed space. Luckily, the stalls are padded on the sides to protect humans and horses. The starter waits until the gate crew has led each horse into their post position stall and has them settled with their nose pointing forward before starting the race.
The first year in which the electric starting gate was used in a Triple Crown race was 1940. Pimlico is honored to be the first classic racetrack to use the Pruett Gate. The following year, Churchill Downs ordered a 14-stall gate to use in the Kentucky Derby. That gate was used up until 1977. It is now on display at the Kentucky Derby Museum as an interactive attraction where guests can climb inside the auxiliary gate! If you are ever in Louisville and want to check out some spectacular racing history, be sure to visit the Kentucky Derby Museum.
Fast-forward to the 21st century, by which time various companies and racetracks have revolutionized the starting gate. For example, Steriline Racing starting gates are known for being very lightweight and having a greater number of stalls. Racetracks such as Churchill Downs, Meydan, Royal Randwick, and Happy Valley have used their gates. These are just a few of the globetrotting starting gate brands being used worldwide. The Steriline gate was imported to Churchill Downs in April 2020, when the Kentucky Derby debuted a 20-stall gate with immense success! The Steriline gate created an even playing field for horses running in the Kentucky Derby, whereas previously, the Derby had a 14-horse gate with an auxiliary gate attached. This created a gap between the 14th and 15th positions, which was seen as a disadvantage to horsemen and fans.
A “gate card” is given to a racehorse to demonstrate that they can handle the gate loading process like a professional, and have been approved by the official starter at a track, similar to a teenager getting a driver's license. Getting a racehorse their gate card requires several training steps, including quiet schooling sessions walking in and out of the gate, leaving from the gate to gallop around the track, and at least one timed workout from the gate. Some horses require more time to get accustomed to the gate, much like a child getting used to riding a bike. Once a horse earns their gate card, they are allowed to enter their first race. This is another step to getting a Thoroughbred to the races and on their way to becoming a professional racehorse. If a horse acts up during the loading process for a race, either refusing to enter, rearing in the stall, or acting in a way that could injure another horse or human, they will be required to school in the gate during morning training hours to once again prove they can behave in the gate.
In this week’s reel, coming on Friday, you will be entering a starting gate yourself! With this unique perspective, you will see the process in action from start to finish. This reel was filmed at Ellis Park in Henderson, Kentucky. We will follow gate crew member Josh McLemore as he carefully guides Monition into the starting gate for his first-ever career start. And guess what… Monition won! Be sure to pay close attention to the starting gate the next time you attend the races!