A would-be thief almost caused mayhem before the start of Saturday’s Golden Slipper.
Binoculars and walkie-talkies belonging to chief steward Ray Murrihy and his deputy Greg Rudolph were stolen from their vantage point on the sixth floor of the grandstand.
The two had no contact with starter Billy Dale as drama unfolded behind the barriers with firstly Smart Missile and then Fast And Sexy scratched from the big race after playing up in the stalls.
“I managed to get Bill on the mobile,” Rudolph said.
“But it was touch and go. The start was being delayed not just because of what was happening with the horses behind the barrier.”
A diligent police officer found the stewards’ gear stashed in a cubby hole in another room for future collection by the perpetrator and it was duly returned to its rightful owners.
AAP TURF
