Melbourne Cup day comes to an end 1:59
Over refreshed revelers leave the track after the running of the Melbourne Cup at Flemington
Melbourne Cup Day Eagle Farm blackout: Blame game ensues
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- Punter turns $10 into $240k
- Colours run wild in Birdcage
TENS of thousands of angry punters stormed out of Eagle Farm Racecourse as organisers and power providers blamed each other for the electrical outage that crippled Melbourne Cup celebrations.
Some of Brisbane’s best-known personalities were caught up in the debacle, which came despite Eagle Farm’s $54 million revamp earlier this year.
While the club tried to blame Energex for the incident, the power company hit back late yesterday saying too much power was being drawn from the network.
The Courier-Mail understands there were no back-up generators at the racetrack to deal with the situation.
The blackout came just minutes before the Melbourne Cup was due to start, causing everything from trackside betting, ATMs and televisions to cease working.
Thousands of outraged and rain-soaked racegoers were forced to leave the track and watch the race from a nearby bowls club.
An investigation into the incident is under way after safety fuses on a transformer, which feeds power to the racetrack, were tripped.
It is understood enough power for 200 houses was being used by the track at the time of the power outage.
Energex said the large number of airconditioned marquees and food trucks “pushed our fuses to their limit”.
“The track drew a lot of power from our network, which caused the safety fuses to blow and (that) has taken power from the track,” a spokesperson said.
“We will be investigating the incident and speaking with Brisbane Racing officials about their internal configuration (of power).”
Fun and drama at Eagle Farm
Melbourne Cup at Eagle Farm. Pictured is Leanne Preston, Manly, Hannah Neave, Robina and Melissa Doyle, Paddington.
Picture: Chris McCormack.
Melbourne Cup at Eagle Farm. Pictured is Ashlee Shepherd, Wavel Heights and Katerina Turner, Bardon.
Picture: Chris McCormack.
Melbourne Cup at Eagle Farm. Pictured is Christine Wilson, Burnside and Elyssa Hughes, Nundah.
Picture: Chris McCormack.
Melbourne Cup at Eagle Farm. Pictured is Jade Stockhill, Bundamba, Sian Peters, Karrabin and Sandie Norris, Brassall.
Picture: Chris McCormack.
Melbourne Cup at Eagle Farm. Pictured is Christie Campbell, Morningside and Sandy Dawson, Morningside.
Picture: Chris McCormack.
Melbourne Cup at Eagle Farm. Pictured is Luisa Mann, Norman Park and Nadia Filiaggi, Tennyson.
Picture: Chris McCormack.
Melbourne Cup at Eagle Farm. Pictured is Iesha Stemm, Stafford and Nadia Alba, Wavel Heights.
Picture: Chris McCormack.
Melbourne Cup at Eagle Farm. Pictured is Karly Scott, Wynnum and Melissa White, Manly.
Picture: Chris McCormack.
Brisbane Racing Club released a statement that blamed the problem on the “failing of power outside of the Eagle Farm property”.
“Brisbane Racing Club is extremely disappointed with the loss of power for approximately 1.5 hours at Eagle Farm Racecourse,” it read.
“It is unfortunate that racegoers were let down by the power supply on such an important day on the racing calendar.
“The BRC shares the disappointment of racegoers that power was not supplied to the track in time for the Melbourne Cup.”
The club said it had examined back-up power options for the race day, but it was not economically viable.
Power was only returned to the track a few minutes after the Melbourne Cup had been run.
Many of those who stayed at the track watched the race on their mobile phones.
Among those caught up in the incident were Brisbane Bachelor and Bachelorette contestants Jake Ellis, Noni Janur and Faith Williams and Channel 7’s Sammie O’Brien.
Many racegoers demanded refunds at the gate, having missed the race.
Chantelle Dinnage, 28, said she and her friends were “pissed off” about the outage.
“We want our money back,” she said.
“Everyone was just storming out to watch the race somewhere else. It just shouldn’t have happened.”
Originally published as ’Pissed off’ Cup punters in their thousands