Rain Washes Out Spring Races

Kathryn Mawhinney, Tansey, and Abby Pollard, Tablelands, were supporting the “Spring Florals” dress theme

October 21, 2019

Wondai’s big Caulfield Cup Day race meeting was cut short on Saturday afternoon when a storm dumped rain and hail on the course.

A small shower passed across the grounds before Race 1 but this was nothing compared with what happened immediately afterwards.

The first drops began to fall as the horses crossed the line.

This was followed soon afterwards by pelting rain, small hail and strong winds which sent punters scurrying to find shelter.

Stewards decided to delay the start of Race 2 in a bid to allow the weather to clear.

But a subsequent inspection of the course revealed a number of washouts around the perimeter and a significant amount of surface water on the track.

After taking into account the extent of remedial work that would be required to make the track suitable for racing – and a forecast of further thunderstorms – it was decided at 2:20pm to abandon the rest of the meeting.

South Burnett Race Club secretary Chris Nettelfield said there would be no opportunity to re-schedule the Wondai Cup, which was the main event on the five-race card.

“It just doesn’t get run this year,” she said.

On the bright side, most of the crowd that had come to Wondai for the races stayed to watch the running of the Caulfield Cup and The Everest meetings on Sky-TV.

“We had the betting ring and TAB operating, the bar was open and food was available,” she said.

Final figures for the day have not be tallied yet but at one point, organisers were weighing up whether to re-stock the bar.

Even the Fashions of the Field went ahead after a short delay …

Winners were Rebecca Jane, Sunshine Coast (ladies); James Cullinane, Chinchilla (gentlemen); Jeff and Andrea Eagle, Brisbane (couple); Harry Fryer, Wooroonden (boys) and Amelia Dalton, Cushnie (girls).