Racing: Final rain on Avondale's parade

Avondale racecourse's successful barrier trials to introduce thoroughbred racing under lights in March 1987. Photo / Supplied

Late one afternoon 30 years ago two bums were planted firmly on the house bar seats of Auckland's Intercontinental Hotel.

One belonged to Jim Smith, a DJ who was soon to become a driving force behind the revolutionary entry into racing by Radio Pacific.

The other to the late Paddy O'Donnell.

Paddy was different, but in more ways than one he was one of the truly great broadcasters.

Somewhere between the third and fourth beer the pair hatched a plan.

Their employer, local radio station 1ZB, had just taken over sponsorship of the main race on Melbourne Cup day at Avondale.

The plan wasn't finalised until Smith called his mate at 7am the next morning and through a hangover said: "Let's make it a $100,000 race."

Silence. After all, the richest race in New Zealand at the time was around that figure.

O'Donnell and Smith were not people to take a backward step. They charged each of 65 individual sponsors X number of dollars each in return for 1ZB airtime and came up with a $65,000 inaugural 1ZB Allrounder.

The $100,000 lightning flash after the night of drinking hadn't been reached, but the $65,000 was $5000 more than the stake for that season's group one Avondale Cup, one of the country's richest races.

That was only the start. From the UK they hauled in one of television's most popular figures of the time, English actress Jill Gascoine, star of crime show Gentle Touch, as guest for the day and produced what will be remembered as one of the most remarkable raceday promotions of all time.

It was indicative not only of what can be achieved in horse racing with sufficient initiative, but this was typical of the drive and energy of Avondale racing through the 1970s and 80s.

Had it not been for torrential rain, all attendance records at Avondale would have been broken.

As much as the rain poured, the public poured through the turnstiles, every 10th person receiving a free betting voucher. The promise of a massive racing card with a pop concert and fireworks to follow packed the stands.

With surface water everywhere on the track stewards assembled the jockeys and told them the meeting shouldn't really proceed, but after the effort that had been put in everyone was duty bound to continue. Jockeys were told if they went wide on the bends no questions would be asked.

Trainer Dave Enright wanted to scratch Four Crowns from the main race, citing conditions, but Jim Cassidy wouldn't let him and went out in the torrential rain and won the 1ZB Allrounder.

No inter-track betting in those days so Smith, O'Donnell and Avondale CEO, the late John Wild, one of the great innovators, deposited $10,000 into a TAB account, fielded bets from all in the sponsors' marquees on the Melbourne Cup and telephoned the bets into the TAB.

The barely legal move fielded massive amounts of bets and payouts yet when the trio checked the account the next morning there was a $10,000 and 25 cents balance.

Two hours after the last race a saturated crowd gave commentator Keith Haub a standing ovation as he introduced the pop concert with a rendition of The Auctioneer.

"Three and a half hours after the last race the stands were still jam-packed," recalled Smith later.

"It was one of the most remarkable celebratory sports events you could ever attend. If it hadn't rained there would have been that many there the public would still be trying to get off the track."

There will be no pop concert after the last at Avondale today as the AJC says goodbye to racing on the historic course, possibly forever.

More of a feeling of poignancy.

No decision has been made about the long-term future of the racecourse. If it is sold it is casually valued at $35 million.

There have been some great moments and some flat moments for the club down the years.

There used to be a line that went around that if it was Avondale races it would be raining. The Auckland forecast for today is fine with the chance of an afternoon shower.

Given the circumstances it would perhaps be appropriate if the first shower arrived at 4.05pm, to set the scene for the last race a moment or two later.