I had six drives to start the day with three starting in vault starts and two cold bloods to drive
. My first of the day was a vault start and if it is possible I will try and explain how it works. Picture 12 horses circling in the stretch at Flamboro, the first four are 40 meters back of the start line and four more 20 meters back of them and four more 20 meters further back!
All three groups must circle until they hear the call from the loud speaker to get ready.....then five seconds (or so) later he says "set", and by now you are turning up from the rail and heading towards the grandstand and edging slightly to your left when you hear "aja" or GO, and if everyone is lined up in their lines (three lines of four at separate distances from the start) the race begins. If you think it sounds difficult, try doing it!!!!!!
You only get two false starts before you are declared disqualified. I am proud to say I was disqualified only once all day thank you very much, and would you think that cold blooded f%&¤#" P&%¤# of sawdust would land trotting.....no shot!!!!!!
Anyway the day started off great with a "parked the route" third place and followed that with a "fourth over" fourth. The one that I had been waiting for all day, her name was Bella Magic, and she had ZERO lifetime victories coming into the day. The trainer told my interpreter that she didn't like to be held back! HMMM, I thought, I can handle that!!!!! We had the 5 hole on the gate and when it sprung so did we!!!!!!
I'm not sure how fast the first quarter would have been at home, because they time them in a kilometre rating system that only the Europeans would understand, but we had at least eight lengths on the field the whole way! You knew that couldn't last forever and it didn't as we approached the last turn! The big lead was gone and I had driver Sami Sandberg coming up on me with the favoured horse. He thought he was going right by but he wasn't expecting, what was to happen next.......I put a wheel in his path and he had stop driving for a moment and change course. He got the last laugh though as he just picked me up on the line!!!! Hey what the hell, diplomacy can only take you so far.....
I don't race tomorrow but if I see any old Leafs at the hockey game we're going to I'll check back in before the next race day, which is Tuesday at Tampere.
In your post you admit to
In your post you admit to "putting a wheel in his path". You clearly overdrove your mount and then when picked off you violated the rules and endangered others. Doesn't sound diplomatic to me.