By Orville Clarke, Freelance WriterFINANCE MINISTER Dr. Omar Davies will this afternoon meet a top level delegation from the racing industry at his Ministry to address matters of concern to the horsemen.
Dr Davies, who has portfolio responsibility for the racing industry was, last week, mandated by Prime Minister P.J. Patterson to meet with racing interests on June 4, following calls for his intervention at an extraordinary general meeting of the Jamaica Racehorse Owners Association (JROA) on May 15 at the Hotel Four Seasons, Kingston.
The JROA warned that if the Prime Minister did not reply to them by June 1, they would withhold nomination of horses for an indefinite period, forcing a shutdown of racing at Caymanas Park.
In his reply to JROA president Laurence Heffes, the Prime Minister expressed the hope that today's meeting "will result in a clearer understanding between the Government and all the stakeholders which will endure to the lasting benefit of horseracing in Jamaica".
High on the agenda of concerns are the recent imposition of a 15 per cent GCT on gambling, a move which bookmaking interests said would not only wipe them out but also play into the hands of the illegal bookmakers, as well as the vexed question of purses which have not been increased since 1998.
At yesterday's Red Stripe Derby launch, Heffes stated that, "horsemen will be going to that meeting level-headed and solution oriented". Meanwhile, the fate of Saturday's race meet hangs in the balance, depending on the outcome of the meeting.
