Horses and jockeys evacuated from track as fire breaks out before race

01/24/2022

Horses and jockeys were evacuated from a track after a fire broke out just as a race was due to start.

The runners for the second contest of the day were about to go into the stalls when the drama unfolded at Great Western Racecourse, Australia.

Witnesses said black smoke blew into the sky from the car park, where the blaze began.

One of the vehicles caught fire, reportedly by dry grass coming into contact with its hot catalytic converter, Racenet reported.

It then spread to more than 20 cars, causing serious damage.

When it started, jockey Christine Puls was behind the stalls on her horse Verando ready for the Maiden Plate contest.

Due to be run over 1210m, the first prize was $25,000 – but it had to be scrapped at the last minute.

Puls told the publication the participants were lucky the weather conditions took it in a certain direction.

“We were very fortunate the wind was going the right way,” she said.

“If it had been going the other way it would’ve gone straight through horse stalls and the public area but instead it was blowing towards the 1900m chute."

Racing Victoria reported that everyone left the area safely at the track's only fixture of the year.

Officials were forced to abandon it after just one race had been run.

Puls had been set to ride Shakespeare in the feature $50,000 Great Western Cup.

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Ciaron Maher and David Eustace, successful in the first contest with Beautox before the meeting was called off, also had a horse entered for the big race.

“Once they realised actually what was going on I think everybody kicked into gear pretty quickly,” Puls added about the incident.

“Only in Australia, in 30-odd years of being around the races I’ve never, ever, ever seen that.

“You hear of car fires starting, especially on properties, but you never expect to see it, do you?

“Everyone was amazing … there was not a lot of confusion at all."

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