21 March 2022 | Duncan Dornauf for Tasracing
Whenever a book on the history of harness racing at the Devonport Showgrounds is written, its troublesome lights will feature in a couple of chapters of its 111-years of history.
Many loyal harness fans will recall the incident in the mid-90s when they went out mid-race, causing many horses and drivers to fall, which resulted in improved safety standards across the nation.
The troublesome lights will also feature in the last chapter, after they played one last party trick, with several light towers failing to come on when activated, even though being fully operational during the afternoon, resulting in races four to eight being abandoned at the last harness race meeting scheduled for the venue, in what was a disappointing result for the club and the large crowd on track.
Unfortunately, only three races were run, with Stone Cracker for Brighton trainer Stephen Lockhart, and concession reinsman Ryan Backhouse putting their names into the record books as winning the last race held on the 735-metre circuit.
From inside of the second-row, the seven-year-old Stonebridge Regal gelding was positioned behind the leader before Backhouse eased the $18 chance into the clear at the 200m point to go on and score by 4.4meters over Image Of Starzzz and Brian Who.
Other winners at the farewell meeting included Sutter Star for Bianca Heenan and Mitch Ford, while Steve Davis and Todd Rattray teamed up to score with Benjamin Niadh in race two.
Despite the early finish, many people stayed around to recall some of their memories of racing at the Showgrounds, which will stage its last ever meeting with a 10-race greyhound card on Tuesday afternoon.
One of those was steward Bruce Baudinette who had officiated at the last meeting held at the Elphin Showgrounds in the late ‘80s and at the Royal Hobart Showgrounds in 2005.
An announcement on the fate of abandoned races will be made later today by Tasracing’s Racing Operations Team.
Approved By Dean Baring www.harnessbred.com
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