Dogs share the prized Cup bone

IT was the worst case scenario for Bundaberg punters, trainers and officials on Saturday afternoon.

The highly-touted, most expensive and most anticipated race on the calendar for the local club lasted no more than a few seconds, before a temperature change caused the soldered cables in the pace-setting gate to bust, and the bunny to sit motionless some two metres from where it began.

The dogs were at a loss, the eager ones, two of them, went for the bunny, while the rest continued to hair down the track.

Club president Brian Terry was yesterday devastated that such an unlucky incident could occur at such an ill-fortunate time.

"It's a huge let down, to happen on the main race, if the clouds had stayed away for 20 more minutes we would have been fine, but it had to happen on the big race," he said.

After an extended meeting with the trainers, it was decided to abandon and split the $5000 prizemoney between owners, a decision which went against the wishes of the trainer of the only local, and pre-race favourite, Greg Thorpe.

"I'm obviously really disappointed, the dog was peaking with fitness for the day, he was there...when you miss out on something like that, when you know you can win, it really is disappointing," he said.

"But these things happen, especially in the bad weather.

"I'm just glad no dogs were hurt by running into the gate, because that can easily happen and it's not pretty."

Terry said the gate was tested some 20 times earlier in the day, and the previous five races went off without a hitch.