Over the past couple of decades there has been a number of changes within Harness Racing - most for the better but without doubt the biggest fallacy still in existence is that the "one out/one back" position is the best place to be in the run.
Since the inception of cambered 1000m tracks, races are run entirely differently than previously in that the first half is usually around 64 and they dash home. This pattern inevitably leads to a 3 wide train coming at the bell so the horse in the one/one either has to pull 3 wide without cover at bell or risk being pocketed and neither scenario is too inviting to me. Plus with the combination of cambered tracks and lighter sulkies horses don't drop off when caught wide as they used to.
However, if you did a straw poll of mug punters in a TAB most love their horses settling there and continually hear them screaming blue murder when a horse gives up that spot. I don't have the figures but I would imagine that more races are won by the following positions - leader, leader's back, death, 3 pegs, 3 wide with cover so what is the great attraction when I am positive that there are 5 more advantageous positions to be in during a race. I will grant that its a great spot to be if you are guaranteed that the death horse will run past the leader or the 3 wide horse will drop off at the 300 but there are no guarantees and hence I hate being on horses in the one/one as a rule.
Back in the days of 800m tracks when speed was on most of the way anything out wide usually dropped dead at the 400 so it was position "A" in that it gave you the option of having first crack at the leaders but we don't live in that age anymore any drivers and punters need to get their heads around that.
Just annoys me when I hear racecallers go into raptures when a driver positions a horse one/one.
