Are they going to borrow a cup of sugar too?

[my miss storm cat]

Excerpt, Stewards Minutes for the week of March 10th...

03/08/126 GATE MALFUNCTION

During the loading procedure for the fifth race (hillside turf course) the stall doors for the outside horse in the seven horse failed to close (magnet issue). Starter Jay Slender therefore loaded the horse into the eight stall and the race was run without incident -- #7 finished fourth. Clearly, this gate has had a number of issues this meet and Santa Anita has arranged for Hollywood Park’s turf gate to be transported here Monday.

http://www.chrb.ca.gov/Stewards/Minu...A_12_03_10.pdf

Ummm, what?

Santa Anita has to borrow a starting gate because "clearly" there have been "a number of issues"?

This is Los Angeles, not a third world country (oh here comes the comedy... should probably delete that but whatever).

I find this ridiculous.

Oh and this wasn't the race that was deemed no contest recently. This was the following week.

I've asked about technology in racing in the past or rather the lack of it... what about at least keeping this stuff up to date though? Can't this kind of thing be taken care of? Isn't it just common sense... necessary maintenance? Replacing something that needs to be replaced? What are they going to do, shuttle the starting gate with each season? What happens if there's a problem with the one from Hollywood? With the BC at SA again this year... don't they get money for this kind of stuff... tangible items?

(I wanted to find out how old this one is but couldn't find the info. I did however read about some nice, newer ones here...

http://www.sterilineracing.com/go/st...starting-gates

Thoughts?

[Travis Stone]

Gates are just like cars... sometimes things go. Last summer at LAD one of the stalls was opening slowing all of the sudden, so they took a wrench to it and loosened it. Three years ago a couple of the gates didn't open at all in a race. It happens. Starting gate technology is far more "primitive" than say tote technology... believe it or not!

[my miss storm cat]

Originally Posted by Travis Stone

Gates are just like cars... sometimes things go. Last summer at LAD one of the stalls was opening slowing all of the sudden, so they took a wrench to it and loosened it. Three years ago a couple of the gates didn't open at all in a race. It happens. Starting gate technology is far more "primitive" than say tote technology... believe it or not!

Good points of course!

People do replace their cars, right? You can fix something so many times and there comes a point when it should just be replaced, right?

Isn't the one at SA like... I don't know, a Pinto or a Yugo or something?

I'd love to know how old these things are.