A horse is a horse and a bet may be a bet, but the different codes of races start in uniquely different ways that separate one from the other. Despite employing completely different methods to send horses on their way, starters across racing share the same objective: to make sure every horse receives a fair and safe getaway in order to protect the investments of their owners, the integrity of the sport, and the bettors' interests.
Anthony "Spike" Ranno, the starter for Thoroughbred (flat) races at Colonial Downs in New Kent, starts the field from a stationary gate with 14 separate stalls, or chutes, that Thoroughbred horses enter one by one. After the final horse loads in, he presses a button that simultaneously rings the starting bell and flips open the magnetic doors. Horses then burst out together and compete in the race.