A hand grenade was thrown at the Nicosia race track today as a strike by jockeys over ambulance cover threatened to grow uglier. "A hand grenade was thrown outside the Nicosia race course at 4:00 a.m. this morning, we are investigating the possibility that it was linked to the strike," a Nicosia police spokesman told AFP.
The grenade was aimed at an electrical installation which controls the track's floodlighting, but only caused superficial damage and a few broken windows in nearby shops, houses and vehicles.
Police said there was a later bomb scare at the track after television stations received an anonymous call. "Somebody phoned claiming there was a bomb at the race track but police
had already checked the grounds and so we knew it was a hoax caller," said the police spokesman.
Apart from the bombs, tempers also exploded during the race meeting forcing police to move in to keep the peace after which one man was arrested.
Local punters who have been disillusioned by a falling stock market have had little joy at the track after the island's top jockeys called a strike in the New Year over a lack of safety measures at Cyprus's only race course.
Jockeys are demanding that an ambulance follows riders round the track during each race, which is the policy on most European courses.
But ambulance drivers are refusing to budge on the issue, arguing that it is quite sufficient to follow proceedings from a standing start.
Although the Nicosia Race Club agreed to the jockeys' union demands it has no control over ambulance drivers, who come under the Health Ministry.
Nevertheless, horse trainers registered apprentices and a handful of blackleg jockeys to break the strike and went ahead with today's meeting.
One of the three strike breaking jockeys had his car daubed with paint before his appearance on the track.
Insiders say the dispute is likely to become uglier with no immediate solution in sight.
