20/09/2024
There's been plenty of discussion around a decision to stop drivers from engaging in conversation with other drivers on the track.
Leading trainer and former World Champion Driver, Mark Jones is in full support of the decision and outlines his thoughts and reasoning below. We encourage you all to have a read and share among your networks.
I am 100% for the rule for drivers not talking on to each other on the track pre and during the race. There are a number of reasons for this I will outline below, and I am, gladly, not on Facebook but have been sent a lot of peoples comments about this rule which I find ridiculous to read and clearly coming from people who do not understand how little changes can make harness racing a better and more professional sport.
I am the first to criticise HRNZ, RIB when I believe something is wrong, but I fully support HRNZ in this rule and I think we all should when the benefits clearly outweigh any negatives and any move to make our industry better should be welcomed.
The first question is simple and one no one can give reasonable answer to - Why do drivers need to talk on the track?
These drivers earn up to 300 an hour, without taking into account percentages, their soul focus when they get onto the track and during the race should only be on their horse and job. This may include keeping your horse relaxed as possible, faster warm up, slower warm up, practise stand start etc there are many ways horses needed to be treated differently to get them to perform at their best.
An important issue is when at the start drivers should be in numerical order but are never due to talking to each other and this has big ramifications for our sport, it causes our races to not run on time, it causes our starts to be and look messy and especially our stand starts and more importantly it looks unprofessional. It is vital for our sport to start races on time, or we get thrown off Sky Channel 1 in Australia and we need any turnover we can get to survive.
In NZ we are the only country in the world who warm horses up in both directions so it is clearly a safety issue, when drivers are talking to each other they are not looking ahead or aware of what is happening in front of them, we have had head on crashes before and will continue to do so when drivers are talking and you also have to take into account the multiple tractors on the track, this sounds dumb but talk to the tractor drivers how many close calls they have had and had to dodge drivers talking because the drivers never seen them.
Once a driver gets on the track he should be clearly focused on his horse.
Examples - you do not see Hugh Bowman and James McDonald gallop to start together talking at Randwick, they focus on keep their horse relaxed, in rhythm and happy. They do not talk behind the gates; they talk in the jockeys room.
Do the All Blacks warm up at Eden Park against the Wallabies laughing and joking to each other pre game? No, they focus on their job and socialise in the sheds after.
To read a senior driver wrote "it where we catch up with friends" on the track is one of the most stupid things I've heard
The racetrack is a battlefield, Eden park is a battlefield, racetracks are a battlefield and not a social gathering, on the track we are all enemies as we all want to win.
I have driven in numerous NZ Cups, and it is the greatest race to driver in and gives you a very airy feeling and trust me when I say no one warms up together talking, no one talks at start, you hear every word of the national anthem, and you are extremely focused!
Noone talks in the race, it is every man for themselves and what happens on the track stays on the track, but even a rating 35 race at Manawatu maybe someone's NZ Cup so it should be treated exactly the same. All horses, trainers, owners and punters should expect the highest level of professionalism in every race!
Every race should be treated like the NZ Cup as like all blacks treat every test the same, they don't joke and talk to Fiji in warm up or during the haka. In recent months I have been approached by a couple of juniors drivers who have been worried about the abuse on the track they have got from some senior drivers. In this modern world this is not acceptable. When I was most active as a driver this happened regularly, I received plenty of abuse, but I also gave plenty, but the world has changed, and we need to cut this behaviour out and make the racetrack an enjoyable experience for everyone regardless of their experience.
I have driven around the world, throughout Australia, America, North America and Europe and in no other country do drivers warm up talking side by side.
Punter and general public perception!
This is a big issue, and never once have I suggested of any improper conversations between drivers, but if we have one person think drivers are collaborating a plan before a race when talking on the track that is one person to many and an issue this rule stops immediately. Our sports perception needs to dramatically improve as only seem to get negative press in general media so anything we can do to make our sport more professional should be welcomed.
We rely on people betting on our sport to survive and they need the utmost confidence to do this and also our owners need to know the entire time a driver is on the track their soul focus is on the best interests of their horse, not making the battlefield of the racetrack a place to talk and joke and socialise.
I can speak from experience and pre-race my focus was on my horse and what it was doing and keeping it happy and relaxed , during the race I was focused on what I was doing and what was happening around me and in front of me and this may include many horses in front of me and if I was talking then I am not doing my job properly, also I may miss that split second decision which is difference between winning and losing so people should want drivers fully focused so they know they are getting every chance on the horse they may own, train or backed. I can say from experience the ones who talk the most during the race make the most mistakes and I won't name and shame.
As a trainer, and owners and punters should want the same, I want my driver to be fully concentrated on my horse and their decisions the entire time they are on the track to get the best result.
I have worked on starting gates numerous times at the gallops and jockeys do not talk to each other and are trying to keep their horses relaxed and happy and come into the gates in order, harness should be the same.
Unfortunately, we need to really lift our professionalism of our sport and little things like no talking on track is part of this, as I stated before it leads to a better look, races starting on time. Starts being better.
The perception is a massive thing and one we need to tidy up and improve and this rule does this, as I said people within the sport know nothing dodgy is going on but it is the outside general public we need to keep their confidence our sport is professional and no talking on track helps in this, as I said you don't see professional sportsmen warm up and laugh together so we should be the same.
The track should be a safe place, and abuse shouldn't be part of being on the track.
The track is a battlefield, and we actually are all enemies on the track until the race is finished and this is nullified when drivers are seen talking before a race and just imagine you are outsider looking in you will think to yourself "what are those drivers talking about?"
Under the rule drivers can talk for safety reason which is common sense.
Let's change our age old culture and improve our sports professionalism and perception and make the racetrack great again and support HRNZ in making positive changes to grow our sports confidence in the general public.
This rule cleans up many things and makes it look far better to general public which we need to involve more. If we can’t make small changes and get them right we won’t make bigger issues better either.
- Mark Jones
