Hayden Meikle counts down the 150 greatest moments in Otago sport.
No 110: First night trots in Dunedin (1961)
It was Festival Week though and so, if you didn't want to stay at home playing cards, listening to the radio or having a singalong around the piano, you could have watched the National Orchestra play in the city or seen British swimmer Anita Lonsbrough, Olympic gold medallist in the 200m breaststroke at the Rome Olympics, in action at the old Municipal Baths.
But far and away the biggest event in Dunedin on that date was the night trotting meeting at Forbury Park, the first meeting under lights in the South Island.
More than 12,000 racegoers - but strictly no children under 12 - braved the cold, gusty conditions to watch the eight-race programme, up from the average of 7000 that attended day meetings.
Many more, perhaps to avoid the 5s admission charge, observed from their cars in Ravenswood and Earl Rds in St Clair, looking through binoculars and listening to the results on the radio.
The club had spent 20,000 to install the new lighting system which boasted 132 floodlights.
The first race was held at 6.15pm but hot meals were available from 5pm and there was both a cocktail bar and a shandy bar - well, until 6pm anyway - although, according to the Otago Daily Times: "Few people favoured the shandy and cocktail bar, and not many stayed there long."
The meeting was notable for several smashes, with top pacer Sun Chief losing all chance in the main event of the night after falling.
Club president A.H Finnie, though, told the ODT the smashes had nothing to do with the lights. "Accidents can happen at any time. It was just bad luck."
