Trainer watches on as floods destroy stables

1 year ago

When racehorse trainer Jeffrey Caught rushed to his Annandale stables last Thursday, he was shocked to see his horses knee-deep in water.

Caught is just one of the thousands of residents to be affected by the ongoing flood crisis, which has seen unprecedented rainfall swamp Townsville and other parts of Far North Queensland.

Townsville has been declared a disaster zone, residents have been evacuated, and more than 600 homes have been inundated, as the city deals with its worst ever flood disaster.

Speaking to SEN.com.au on Tuesday, Caught said it was lucky he got to his stable when he did.

"I got washed away, my stables got flooded. I had to relocate to higher ground," Caught explained.

"My stables back on to a creek near the racetrack. There was a big back up of water at Thursday lunchtime; it started running down the street where my stables are, then it ran into my stables.

"I got a call from police… when I got there an hour later, the horses were up to their knees in water.

"It happened real quick."

Drone vision of the Burdekin River in flood over Macrossan Bridge, west of #Townsville—taken by Charters Towers Regional Council. There are numerous warnings in effect around the region: Stay up to date https://t.co/CQJkcaE1rm. @QldFES #TownsvilleFloods #BigWet #QldFloods pic.twitter.com/O8SCmOuTcr

— Bureau of Meteorology, Queensland (@BOM_Qld) February 4, 2019

Caught, who trains a small team, said his horses were surprisingly calm during the ordeal.

"They were pretty good, actually," said Caught.

"I thought they would be a bit panicky, but they were not too bad, which was lucky."

Caught said he's been doing it tough, but not as tough as some.

He hopes to return to the stables, which he rents, in a "month or so".

"It sets you back; I just spent a fair bit on feed and shavings and cleaning out boxes, probably a couple of thousand dollars," Caught said.

"It's not much but it's a lot when you've only got a small stable.

"I think there's people in other areas that are worse off."

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