Barrow-load of booze burgled from racecourse
The distinctive racecourse wheelbarrow branded with the letters 'WP' for Waterlea Properties.
A thief has broken into a racecourse chiller to load a wheelbarrow with booze and cart it across a park in the middle of the night.
Staff at Waterlea Racecourse, in Blenheim, found a broken fence, dents on their hired portable chiller and a broken padlock early on Monday morning.
Duty manager Jodie Keen discovered the wheelbarrow was missing - along with several cases of wine, boxes of beer and boxes of pre-mixed drinks, left over from the winter meeting two days earlier.
Keen said the culprit seemed to be a person familiar with the layout of the stables, she said.
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"They must have known where to get a wheelbarrow from down in the stables. They must have gone around the back of the stables, smashed the fence down to get down there with a hammer or whatever. They've known exactly where to go to get the stuff," Keen said.
Overtheriver and rider Zinjete Moki won the Peter Yealands Wines Marlborough Cup at the club's winter meet at the weekend.
"I just don't know many people who would actually do that."
The caretaker found wheelbarrow tracks leading from the chiller towards neighbouring Pollard Park, leading them to suspect the thief had carted the alcohol over the sloping lawns of the park.
"It was a massive amount. It must have taken more than one wheelbarrow trip, unless there was a few of them, or they're just really good at stacking boxes," Keen said.
Someone has broken into Waterlea Racecourse, in Blenheim, and stolen "massive" amounts of beer, wine and pre-mixed drinks.
"It is a low thing to do, to steal from the racecourse. But it's low to steal in general."
Keen hoped someone in the community would "know someone who's got eight cases of Peter Yealands wine, or a massive amount of beer".
"It's a small town. Someone always talks."
The total worth of the stolen items, which included Steinlager Pure, Speights, Summit, and RTDs of Coruba, McKenna and Smirnoff, was estimated at about $1500.
Community Constable Russ Smith said the wheelbarrow had been found, abandoned behind the tennis club building at Pollard Park.
He confirmed police were investigating the heist, and said he welcomed any help from the public.
"It will be obvious if someone has unexpectedly acquired a collection like this."
People with information could call the station on 03 578 5279, or anonymously through Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.
It was not the first time alcohol had been stolen from the racecourse.
Three years ago a teenager broke into the racecourse and took two full kegs of beer and a keg cooling system, and a box of prescription medication, on his 17th birthday.
He admitted a charge of burglary at the Blenheim District Court in 2015, saying he swapped the items for cannabis. He was ordered to pay $2757.50 in reparation.
- The Marlborough Express
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