Jack Lacey and Chloe Mannix-Power have defied a rain-sodden track and a two-hour delay due to lightning strikes to win the Stawell Gift.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
Lacey (9.5m) powered home to win the men's race in 12.27 seconds at Central Park on Easter Monday.
As a former Australian Rules football player, Lacey said he was untroubled by the wet conditions.
Backmarker Jake Ireland was second.
Women's Gift winner Mannix-Power justified her pre-event favouritism, storming home in 13.42 seconds off the backmark of 4.25m.
Heavy rain began falling straight after the Gift sem-finals were run earlier in the day.
Organisers chose to push ahead with the next event on the program, the 1000m invitational handicap, with drawcard Peter Bol charging home from the scratch mark to finish a close second behind Riley Bryce.
"Crazy weather but what a great event," said Bol, who was fourth in the 800m at the Tokyo Olympics.
"I haven't raced in rain like that since I was a kid.
"Congrats to Riley. I just left a little too much to do off the last bend.
"I felt I had a chance to catch him, but he was just a bit strong."
But with thunder and lightning in the local area and surface water covering the grass track in the middle of the oval, the men's and women's Gift finals were put on hold for more than two hours.
Concern arose that the feature Gift races would have to be cancelled or put off until Tuesday.
But a short break in the weather at 4.30pm eventually provided a window for the two finals to be run, although many support events were cancelled.
Since its inception in 1878, only World War II and the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020 have prevented the Gift from taking place.
Australian Associated Press
