Lebanon Day At the Races: No Peace at the Palace of Peace

In the mountains above Beirut, artillery thundered, but the 3,000 people assembled at Beirut’s Palace of Peace race track scarcely paid heed to the rumble: they had come to enjoy an afternoon of horse racing at the oval, which had opened in September after being closed during more than two years of warfare and unrest. Everything went well until the third race, when the four favorite horses fell at the start, thereby enabling a 91-to-1 long shot named Commodore to romp home as the winner. At that, hundreds of losing bettors swarmed onto the track, trampling over fences and tearing down the display board. After 15 minutes of bedlam, it was announced that the third race was canceled and that all bets would be refunded.

The decision pleased the crowd, but it enraged one man who had placed $11 on Commodore. Loudly he threatened to blow up the track if he did not get his winnings. Policemen threw him out, and peace seemed to be restored. Moments later a rocket-propelled grenade fired by an unidentified gunner hit the track, sending spectators and Thoroughbreds scurrying in every direction. No one was injured, but the track was shut down again until further notice.