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Originally Posted by Slewbopper
I was at the Spa the day they shut down the track right before the Morris for the first time in 100 years. The sky was blue, then it became black and blue...then just black. Torrential rain was blowing sideways at 50 or more miles an hour. Lightning bolts were going into the ground in the infield and zapping the tote board at an alarming rate. It was electric and wild. Trees fell across the track.
It was a wild scene. Everyone was fleeing to a leeward position. The only people that stayed somewhat dry were on the second floor. I can't remember the year. Probably about '87.
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Yes, it was 1987 the day before closing day. I was suppose to go to the track with my parents, but they back out because the threat of sereve thunderstorms that afternoon. The weather was fine until about the 7th race, when things went crazy. They were saddling the horses for the John A. Morris in the paddock and I can remember later hearing about how the horses were freaking out with the impending storm apporaching, Robbie Davis was one jockey who commented about that. When the storm came, it was exactly how you said it was; driving rain, sharp lightning and cross winds. I remember children and old people crying and running for cover inside the grandstand. The walkways outside the building and in the picnic area flooded out and it took me almost two hours to drive 55 miles back to my home. The next day had a record amount of scratches and there was a match race in race #2 between Deivious Dutchess and Lyka Dancer. I recently wrote about that day in a weekly column that I do. It was something to remember!
