ABANDONMENT OF RACES AT BULLS

Chronicle (Levin), 18 February 1947, Page 6

ABANDONMENT OF RACES AT BULLS

Part of tlie grandstaud at the Bulls racecourse collapsed under the foree of Maturday morning ;s gale, the joekeys-' board was blown over, the semaphore system was disorganised aud there was 110 eleetric power to operate the totalisator and other faciiities. These cireumstanees led to the abandonment of the Kangitikei Joek'ey Club's meeting on Saturday. Ironically enough, the track was in the best order it liad been tliis summer, and altliough the going would have been easv, there was no surfaee water and the grouiul was not suflieiently sodden to make the traclc sticlcy. Endeavours are being made by the elul) to get a substitute date, but this may be diffieult, as the racing ealendar is pretty woll lilled. if an alternative date can be given, it is hardly likely to be within the next two months. About 20 visiting horses had been slabled at Bulls for the two days prior to Baturday, including 10 from Trentham. Wlien trainers inspeeted the eourse about 8 a.m. on the ' day tliey found -it in excellent order, but the sti'ong wiml and spasms of rain would have made racing well-nigh inipossiblc, even if the eourse faciiities had been in working order. Visitors from Hawke's Bav, the East Coast and the Wairarapa arrived at Bulls for the meeting, ahd wero dismayed to lind liovv scverely hit the distriet had been, for altliough the weather was rough' 011 the other side of tlie islaud, it was nowhere near as bail as 011 tlie west eoast.