Third time lucky for Methven

It’s taken a while but finally the Methven Trotting Club will host a meeting on its home track.

This Friday the club’s twilight meeting will be held at its Mt Harding track, after its two previous meetings this season were transferred to Ashburton and then Orari.

The track was damaged in September when 110 kilometre an hour winds toppled trees and dumped debris on the grass track.

Now they’ve been given the all-clear to race again.

“It’s not perfect but it’s safe and there is good footing,” says Methven Trotting Club president Carl Markham.

“There are a few bare patches where the grass hasn’t come through but we had 50 at the workouts on Saturday and every horse came through it good and safe.”

The track has since been inspected by Harness Racing New Zealand Venue Inspector John Denton, and been given the nod for this Friday.

All races at the meeting will be over sprint distances and be run under Alert Level Two protocols, meaning it will be open only to essential staff, owners of horses racing, and some sponsors and club members.

It will be third time lucky for Markham. He only became president earlier this year and has twice been denied having a meeting at home.

‘I thought I was cursed there for a bit,” he says, “but I am really looking forward to it.”