Howard Hamilton THIS COLUMN has been very critical of the negative effects that the claiming system has had on the quality and structure of racing. Recently I took a critical look at the ownership structure of racing and its changing profile. This evaluation suggests to me that we seem to be gravitating more to the minimum claiming ranks for our new owners.
A look at the group responsible for training our horses also presents a worrying picture, and it is this area that this column would like to address. There are only two occupations within the horse racing industry that require professional qualification. These are jockeys and trainers.
We have recently seen where some 20 apprentice jockeys have graduated from the jockey school operated by the Jamaica Racing Commission. This followed six months of intensive study and practical application. They have already started their riding careers at Caymanas Park.
Trainers are first apprenticed to a licensed trainer for a period of time, following which they apply to be admitted to do a course offered by the Jamaica Racing Commission. The successful completion of this course qualifies them to apply for a license. Once licensed, they become a part of what should be a respected corps of professionals, committed to the highest standards of performance, ethics and morality.
The Jamaica Racing Commission has on record 415 trainers who, at one time or another, have been licensed. One hundred and forty-six were licensed for 2002. Of these, there are 114 active trainers competing for 1,178 horses in training - a case of too many trainers chasing too few horses.
An analysis of the distribution of horses among trainers reveals the following:
Number of Trainers Number of Horses
13 20 and over
8 15-19
30 10-15
31 5-9
32 4 and less
You will note that some 63 trainers train less than 10 horses. A further analysis of our current trainer population reveals that 67 percent of them own the horses that they train, and herein lies one of the major problems affecting racing and how potential investors perceive it.
My understanding is that the minimum economic number for effective training varies between 10 and 20, depending on the quality of horses being trained and the number of winners produced each week. It becomes even more complicated when a trainer has no income from training fees charged to an owner, since he has to be training his own horses.
The situation becomes even more untenable because of the impact of the claiming system and the effect that this has had on the quality of owners.
In much the same way that the claiming system has affected the quality of owners, this has been extended also to the quality of trainers. Attending a trainers meeting is an experience worth having. I will never forget the comments of a former chairman of the Jamaica Racing Commission when I questioned whether we were at a groom's meeting or a trainer's meeting. He remarked that he would not deny any professional from getting a licence, in much the same way as we do not limit the licensing of doctors or lawyers.
While I must agree with this in principle, it does bring certain pressures to bear on those responsible for providing the services necessary for trainers to carry out their duties. Doctors and lawyers are on their own, but trainers require stables, horses and all the facilities that make it possible for them to carry out their profession.
The provider of these facilities to the trainer can only do so efficiently when there is an adequate return on the cost to provide the facilities. The relationship between the promoters and the racehorse trainer is essentially contractual. The promoter is obligated to provide all the facilities to enable the racing of horses in conditions that are internationally accepted and as determined by the rules of racing. The capital and operating costs of the racing plant are the sole responsibility of the promoting company and are mainly provided by revenues obtained from the promotion of horse racing.
All the facilities provided by the promoting company to the trainers have a financial cost. These costs can only be recovered by revenues derived from the betting handle. It follows therefore that if trainers occupy stables that do not provide frequent runners, then there is reduced betting handle and consequently reduced revenue to the promoting company. This is precisely what is happening now at Caymanas Track.
The promoters need to do a critical analysis of how trainers perform with respect to the number of starters per stall, which they occupy. This should be regularly reviewed during the year by the racing secretary and any analysis showing less than 10 starts per stall must be reason for investigation, with a timetable for improvement.
Next week I look at a further analysis of the cost involved in training horses and the need for a paradigm shift, if owners are to be encouraged back into the industry.
The above is part one of a two-part series. Part II will be published next week.
Howard L. Hamilton is a former chairman of Caymanas Track Limited and current president of the Thoroughbred Owners and Breeders Association of Jamaica. He can be contacted at hhamiltn@cwjamaica.com.
