By Garwin Davis, Assistant News EditorGOVERNMENT'S ACKNOWLEDGEMENT of the horse-racing industry as an important contributor to the economy is not reflective in its treatment of the state owned Caymanas Park facility, industry players say.
They note that the conditions at the race track, including the stretch of road leading to the stable area and the unattractive state of the facility continued to be seen as an eyesore and could affect the $4 billion per year racing industry.
This was fully exposed last week Sunday at the annual general meeting of the Jamaica Racehorse Owners Association at the Four Seasons Hotel in St. Andrew. Owners slammed the Government for being interested only in "reaping its seven per cent take from the industry," without wanting to put anything back by way of reinvestment. Some went even as far as recommending a shutting down of operations at the track if Government fails to act.
DIVEST
In an interview with The Gleaner on Friday, President of the Thoroughbred Owners and Breeders Association, Howard Hamilton, said the time may have come for the Government to divest the plant. "There were a lot of views expressed at the meeting last Sunday which clearly reflected the serious concerns facing the racing industry," he said.
"People are naturally frustrated at how things are going and quite rightly so. The Government has created a monster in having socialised the ownership of the promoting company and must now deal with this. I, however, don't subscribe to the view that we have to disrupt operations in order to get results. Yes, I agree that if the Government should reinvest some of what it makes from the race track back into the facility then it would alleviate some of the problems. I don't think though that they can afford it, which is even more reason why they should divest the plant - let the private sector deal with it and I am sure we will see meaningful changes."
Mr. Hamilton said that a visit to race track facilities overseas is a clear reminder as to the substandard nature of local racing, adding that the only way forward is for the industry to be fully modernised. "We need a race track where people can take their families to on race days," he said. "We need to turn it into an attraction - something we can all be proud of."
He also warned that "if we are not careful - if we don't do the things that are required, it will not take industrial action to close this place down. It will simply shut itself down."
PROACTIVE
For years, industry players have been pleading with the Government to be more proactive in its dealings with the management of Caymanas Track Limited, operators of the race track. They have pointed to the rundown nature of huge sections of the facility, inadequate purse structures and not enough incentives to attract new investors to the industry.
In an interview last week, Minister of Information Senator Burchell Whiteman said the "Prime Minister was mindful that as a sport, horse-racing engages a large number of persons and for many years has been an important source of revenue." Asked whether the Government would appease the critics by reinvesting back into the racing plant, Mr. Whiteman said: "Minister Fitz Jackson brought up that concern at Cabinet on Monday and it is something that I am sure will be looked into."
However, Vincent Edwards, the outspoken vice-president of the Jamaica Racehorse Trainers Association (JRTA) said "what the racing business needs are people with experience", noting that the industry has suffered over the years as a result of neglect.
