The first of its kind, a harness racing starting gate built from a Hummer, debuted at the Isle Casino & Racing at Pompano Park Friday morning for the track's qualifying races.
The mobile starting gate is used in harness racing to keep all of the horses in line before the start of each race so no one gets an unfair advantage at the start of the race. The wings of the gate have the numbered post positions for each horse in the race to start behind and once the starter says "GO" the gate pulls ahead of the field and the wings of the gate pull in as the horses begin the race. At most tracks the starting gate then follows the race, checking for any infractions by the drivers and also for safety reasons in case of an accident.
The new starting gate was designed and built by Howard Starting Gate Company of Waynesfield, Ohio. Steven Wolf, the Senior Director of Racing Operations at the Isle Pompano Park, came up with the concept of using a Hummer for a starting gate nearly two years ago.
The Hummer starting gate has two special features. The race starter sits very high and can see over the gate and view the entire field of horses and that there is room for up to three passengers, two seats next to the race starter and one next to the driver. The track is planning on having special drawings to allow patrons to ride in the Hummer starting gate.
"The view is just great," Said Isle Pompano Park Starter Frank Dalton. "Instead of having to look through the screened area to see the horses, I can now see down on the field clearly and that will help a great deal in starting the races and seeing if any of the horsemen are having trouble before the start."
"I think the Hummer was a good choice for it's size and capabilities and the starting gate worked out well being installed on it," said Pat Ridenour, owner of Howard Starting Gate Company. "It turned out very well, and will be comfortable for the driver, starter, and passengers. And it will be a very good vehicle for any track conditions. It was not harder to build than other gates, just different modifications. The special features with using a Hummer are the elevated view for the starter and passengers."
The new Hummer starting gate will be used for the first time in a pari-mutuel race Friday night at the Isle Pompano Park at 7:25 pm.