A race meeting at Benalla in Victoria has been abandoned after two holes were found in the track, including one that was almost a metre deep.Stewards were alerted to the bigger hole after the fifth race at Tuesday's meeting when jockey Matt Pumpa reported that his mount Mahoke Boy, who was travelling in the lead on the rails, knuckled badly near the 500 metres.A subsequent track inspection found a deep hole near the running rail on the home turn as well as a "significant" second hole, about thre
A race meeting at Benalla in Victoria has been abandoned after two holes were found in the track, including one that was almost a metre deep.
Stewards were alerted to the bigger hole after the fifth race at Tuesday's meeting when jockey Matt Pumpa reported that his mount Mahoke Boy, who was travelling in the lead on the rails, knuckled badly near the 500 metres.
A subsequent track inspection found a deep hole near the running rail on the home turn as well as a "significant" second hole, about three metres out from the rail.
Stewards' chairman Peter Ryan said it was lucky that there was not a serious accident in the first five races.
He said the hole wasn't evident when a track inspection was done before the start of the race meeting.
"Obviously there is something going on under the ground that we are not aware of," Ryan said.
"There is a cavity or something there."
Ryan said once the second hole was found there was no way that moving the rail was an option.
Jockeys met after inspecting the track but stewards called the meeting off in the interests of safety before the riders could reach their own verdict.
The hole near the running rail was so deep that a groundsman reached into it down to his shoulder.
"It was basically bottomless," Ryan said.