Power blackout causes delay

Press, 10 July 1989, Page 29

Power blackout causes delay

A power blackout in the stewards’ and members* stands during the opening race at Addington Raceway on Saturday evening resulted in no enlarged photo-finish print being available of the close finish to the D.B. Draught Mobile Pace. Only' a strip of negative of the finish (taken with emergency power) was supplied to the judge, Geoff Bruhns. With the aid of a powerful magnifying glass, Mr Bruhns could not separate Toujours Hest and Champion Thirst at the finish, declaring a deadheat. Mr Bruhns’s decision was endorsed by the Chief Stipendiary Steward, Peter McKenzie, before the official payout was ordered. Toujours Hest, an upstanding Plat du Jour gelding making his debut from Dick Prendergast’s Chertsey team, finished strongly late from the trail for stable reinsman, Graeme Ward, to share the honours with Champion Thirst, which was given every chance by Robert Dunn. The pair established a CO class record for 2600 m mobile at Addington of 3min 21s, .5 of a second inside Roimata Lad’s old mark. Champion Thirst was won by Timaru owner, Barbara Copeland, in the “DB Win A Racehorse” competition during last year’s New Zealand Cup meeting. The Nero’s 8.8. gelding was having his third career start on Saturday. The programme was officially deferred by 10 minutes after race one to rectify the electrical fault. “The fuse links overheated on their temporary provision. The unit could not withstand 300 amps of power usage and the connection was transferred to a 400 amp point,” said the club’s electrician, Graham van Tongeren. The main electrical switchboard is temporarily stationed in a portacom building behind stage one of the new stewards’ stand. It is intended to house the main switchboard in stage two of the new stewards’ stand when it is completed next year. Saturday’s blackout is only the second loss of power Mr van Tongeren has experienced in 16 years at Addington Raceway.