FIRE IN RACING STABLES

Press, Volume XC, Issue 27426, 12 August 1954, Page 10

FIRE IN RACING STABLES

NEW ZEALAND COLT AMONG HORSES (NJL. Press Association—Copyright) (Rec. 11.30 p.m.) BRISBANE. August 11. A valuable colt bought in New Zealand was destroyed after being injured in a fire which gutted one of Queensland’s biggest racing stables today. Four other horses were killed in the fire and two others were killed by a train when they fled in panic and plunged on to a railway line three miles away.

The fire was at the stables of the trainer Athol Strong, near Eagle Farm racecourse. /

The colt from New. Zealand, by Pherozshah, was badly burned as it clambered over a five-foot fence. The horses burned to death were a colt by Double Remove, a colt by Newtown Wonder and two show ponies; One of the horses run down by the train was a t A’o-year-old by Cold Shower, which arrived from Sydney only yesterday. The other was a half brother of the racehorse Macgrew. The hero of the fire was Strong’s 15-year-old son. Neil, who was slightly burned when he ignored the roaring flames and intense heat and ran from stall to stall trying to rescue trapped horses. At the height of the blaze, horses, screaming in pain and terror, galloped madly along the streets with blazing rugs on their backs and flames streaming from their manes and tails. Horses worth between £15,000 and £25.000 were saved.

Strong’s loss in horses will be at least 4000 guineas. Strong said he also lost valuable racing gear and hundreds of pounds worth of feed. A search for some of the horses which broke out from the stable during the fire was continuing late today.