According to the racing office they couldn’t fill any of
the of the low-priced pacing classes but they could fill a trot, so when
the track’s general manager Shawn Wiles found out the scenario he said:
“Let’s go with that instead. Besides most of the drivers in the race have
competed it the Billings Series and they used to driving trotters anyway.”
Carded as race number eight on Thursdays 11-race program,
the Passover Trot will still feature the same drivers who were to handle
pacers.
Since the events inception back in 1999 all events were
contested on the pace although one year (2001) perhaps by the success of
the previous Passover Paces, a Passover Trot and a Passover Pace were
carded with the majority of the trotting entries coming from
Billings participants who brought their own horses for the events. However they
never got a chance to race. Halfway through the card a freak thunder storm
knocked out the electricity in the entire village forcing cancellation of
the rest of the card.
“ As the seventh race was in progress the lights went out
and all power was lost. The race finished but obviously the payoffs couldn’t be
posted. However all tickets in the race will be paid off,” then track general
manger Bill Sullivan related at the time.
So with the cancellation of the two Passover races two weeks
later one Passover Pace was scheduled and the Passover Trot fell into oblivion.
Since then there were no other Passover Trots. But now on April 12, the race
for the diagonally gaited standardbreds will go to post with hopes of no repeat
of the infamous day on April 9, 2001.
