Japan: dramatic floodlight failure during race leads to meeting being abandoned

A scary situation unfolded in Japan on Sunday night after the course lights went off during a 7f race at Kanazawa racecourse just before the home turn.

Chaos ensued as jockeys attempted to navigate the course in the pitch-black darkness, with the grandstand lights barely illuminating the horses as they passed the finish before the race was declared void.

The sudden loss of lighting caused three jockeys to fall from their mounts, two of whom were sent to hospital following the incident. 

The Kanazawa Race Club released the following statement, saying the timer function for the course's lights system had been programmed incorrectly.

"In order to ensure fairness in today's (November 19) Kanazawa horse racing, all races from race nine onwards have been cancelled," the statement read.

"The eighth race was cancelled due to a power outage to the track lighting during the race, and as it was necessary to confirm the cause, we have decided to cancel subsequent races. 

"When we investigated the cause, we discovered that the timer setting for turning off all lights after the race was incorrect. We deeply apologise for the inconvenience caused to our fans and related parties."

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