"TOTE" WENT BROKE!

Bay of Plenty Beacon, Volume 3, Issue 204, 26 August 1940, Page 8

"TOTE" WENT BROKE!

RACE MEETING IN PALESTINE HORSES, CAMELS AND DONKEYS An amusing account of a racc meeting held by British forces in Palestine has been received in Wellington from a Ncav Zealander serving with the Australians. "It "was the funniest affair I have ever seen and I don't think I will ever forget it," he writes. "The meeting was held at Bcerslieba, which is about two hours' run by bus from where we arc camped. The track was laid out for the occasion, as racc meetings are rarely held here. A small area was fenced off and was known as the 'enclosure,' admittance to which was 250 mils (five shillings in our money). The 'outside' was free. > The 'tote' was built in a tent and was eventually wrecked by the efforts of the crowd trying to back their fancies. "There were about 5000 Bedouins there and nearly every one of them brought along either a horse, samel or donkey. Just try to picture the scene. The first race started about half an hour late and the last race half an hour early. I don't know what happened! to the 'tote' but after the third race it went 'broke.' While it was operating, though, it was possible to back a horse ten minutes after the race was run, and this was probably the reason it went 'broke.' "The racing was very interesting. The distances varied from six furlongs to one mile and there was a two-mile race for camels. The jocke3 r s were Arabs, and they rode barebacked with the whips cut all the way. The camels went away from a sitting start. A couple of us were told the winner, but owing to the 'tote' not functioning vrere unable | to get set."