UPDATE 3.10pm: Stawell Gift officials have said the next track assessment will take place at 3.30pm. If the track is not fit, the next assessment is at 4.30pm and then 5.30pm.
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PREVIOUSLY:
FINALS for Australia's richest footrace are on hold as efforts are underway to mop up the track.
A storm front cause a brief delay to the official Stawell Gift broadcast after Olympian Peter Bol impressed crowds at Central Park when he finished second off the backmark in the 1000-metre final.
This Easter Monday pause comes as Ballarat sprinter Chloe Kinnersly is preparing for the Stawell Women's Gift final, after a commanding semi-final which had been set to run at 1.45pm.
The Courier has confirmed there is an expected half-hour delay to the program.
Lightning and torrential rain has been impacting racing in Stawell but the storm front is yet to hit Ballarat.
The circle track has been flooded but officials are confident they can finish the sprint program, which includes the men's and women's Gifts with $40,000 on the line for each winner.
Long-time Stawell Gift commentator and former athlete Dave Culbert described the scenes as "unbelievable" and "thought [he'd] seen everything here".
Kinnersly, aged 18, is chasing the glory earned by her Pod Squad stablemates Holly Dobbyn, Grace O'Dwyer and Talia Martin, who dominated the Women's Gift from 2014-16.
