RAIN TERMINATES ROTORUA MEETING AT THIRD EVENT

Rotorua Morning Post, Volume 1, Issue 148, 15 February 1932, Page 6

RAIN TERMINATES ROTORUA MEETING AT THIRD EVENT

CONTINUATION TO-DAY GREAT EMBLEM WINS POHUTU; WAIMUNGU, TO LONDON The Rotorua Racing Club met with bad luck for the opening of its meeting on Saturday. The rain, which cleared away on h riday night, recommenced on Saturday morning and the outlook for the day's sport was not bright. There were prospects of ixnprovement, however, and the stewards decided to carry on, but following spills in the first two events and further persistent • rain, the Judicial Committee met and, in view of the dangerous condition of the track, decided to postpone the meeting, The rem,ainder of Saturday's programme, from the third race, will be continued to-day and the original programme for to-day carried on to-morrow. Rotorua was not the only club to be faced with the unpalatable necessity for a postponment; the Poverty Bay Club which also experienced bad weather, was forced to postpone its second day programme. Under more auspicious weather conditions, the Rotorua Club had prospects for a very successful meeting on Saturday, but as conditions have improved over the week-end, it has prospects of recouping its fortunes to-day.

i Notwithstanding the weather the attendance at Arawa Park, was good, and it is safe to say that had the. day been fine the gathering would have proved entirely satisfactory to the j club. It soon became evident, however, that good racing was impossible. The rain which had fallen was not sufficient to thoroughly percolate the parched soil of the track, with the result that a slippery surface made the going dangerous. In the first race, Whaka King slipped and fell passing out of the straight in the first round of the Pohutu Handicap. N. Syme, the rider, had a leg bruised, but escaped serious injury. In the second race, there was another spill from the same cause when Transaction came to grief at the back of the course.