New Barrier Gates for Morphettville

New starting gates will be used at Morphettville for the first time on Saturday for Sportsbet Finals Day. The top-of-the-line Platinum model gates have been manufactured by world-renowned Mount Barker company Steriline Racing. They are the same as those used at Flemington, the Australian Turf Club, the Hong Kong Jockey Club, and for running the Kentucky Derby.

“Morphettville has now joined some of the best racing tracks in the world in terms of using the Steriline Racing Platinum starting gates,” said Racing SA Training and Infrastructure Manager Rob Heinjus.

“The gates will not only look impressive for TV viewers, but local industry participants will enjoy the extra safety benefits of using the Platinum gates, and they’ll be familiar for interstate runners coming across from other states,” he said.

Racing SA invested more than $300,000 in the purchase of 20 stall gates, one of the largest sets in Australia, next to the 25 stalls used for the Melbourne Cup. The purchase will benefit the racing industry across the state, with the refurbishment and movement of the old Morphettville gates to Oakbank and Oakbank’s gates heading to Ceduna.

“Along with the upgrade at Morphettville, the refurbishment of the other gates provides a significant improvement for country clubs and is a way to extend the lifespan of our fixed infrastructure,” said Heinjus.

“It’s also great for SA racing to be supporting a local manufacturer in Steriline Racing, which is highly regarded right around the world, and all of the money stays right here in South Australia,” he said.

Steriline Racing provided exceptional follow-up service post-gate assembly by conducting a training session for barrier attendants and Morphettville staff on the benefits and features of the new gates in preparation for Sportsbet Finals Day.

Along with the impressive stature of the gates, the operation of the wider-opening back gates for horses to enter has proven safer and faster loading, with fewer incidents and scratchings on race day.

“These gates are safer because they’re easier to load - they’re faster to load, there’s more padding, making the gates much quieter and safer. All of these benefits have a real flow-on effect for every horse in each stall”, said Steriline Racing’s Ben Dolan.

Previously, the gates at Morphettville had a standard opening for horses to enter. The Platinum starting gates have a wider opening with a tapered funnel entry that is more inviting for horses. The progressive spring locking mechanism on the back gates ensures safety for handlers and the horses during the loading process.

“From our perspective the safer back gate opening is the single most transformational benefit to the starting gates over the last 20 years, and we’ve found incidents have significantly reduced at the starting gates” Ben Dolan said.

Steriline has grown to become the global leader in racetrack solutions and a world-leading manufacturer of starting gates and other racetrack equipment. South Australia’s leading racetrack, Morphettville, is proud to operate these world-class gates.