Since the 1960s, horseracing starting stalls the world over have been made by South Australian company Simtrack and its predecessor Steriline.
Story John Dunn
In 1958, members of the Murray Bridge Racing Club in South Australia decided there had to be a better way of starting a horserace than dropping a flag. It had been a progressive organisation since its inception in 1899, and held in such national esteem that its cup winner was, for a long time, granted direct entry to the Melbourne Cup.
So the club asked Lindsay Sims, maker of steel fences for rural properties at nearby Jervois, to construct starting stalls “like they have in the states”.
Even though he had only a photograph as a guide, Lindsay not only accepted the challenge but did the job so well that orders flooded in from other clubs around Australia and then overseas. So began a three-generation family business that is now the world’s biggest in its field, having supplied stalls to 70 countries.
This story excerpt is from Issue #126
Outback Magazine: Aug/Sep 2019
