Howard Hamilton - HORSE SENSE THERE ARE some misconceptions about the breeding industry fuelled by the suggestions that foreign bred horses should be allowed to run in our classic races.
The rules of racing already make native bred horses from Trinidad and Barbados eligible for our classics. Reciprocally, native bred horses from Jamaica are also eligible to run in the classic races of those countries. We must therefore assume that the suggestion relates to those horses imported from the United States.
Within recent months a number of these imported horses have been added to our racing stock and it is possible that this new influx of horses has prompted this discussion. It is important that we analyse what has been happening to our breeding industry over the years and try to see what has brought about this reduction in our breeding activity. We must appreciate that production is directly related to demand and it makes no sense producing goods when there is no demand for said goods. Looking at the results of our yearling sales over the last four years is very revealing:
(See table below)
More than 50 per cent of the horses presented for sale are not sold and the farms eventually have to lease them to interested owners or race the horses themselves. This is a recipe for disaster and is a reflection of the serious downturn that has taken place in the ownership structure of our racing industry. The average selling price over the same period has been in the order of J$300,000. The cost of producing the yearling for sale is J$400,000 and includes neither the cost of the mare nor the stud fees. One also has to take into account the fact that the mare does not always produce every year. It is therefore disheartening when farms bring their horses to the sale and find that there are no buyers and they end up having to either take the animal back to the farm or give it away.
You may quite rightly ask "Why continue to breed horses without encouragement or incentives?" Only those involved in the business can answer that question. The only sane answer is the drive to produce a classic winner. The joy and thrill which that provides has no monetary value and is the incentive which keeps the few breeders producing from year to year.
Those who would wish to deny breeders that opportunity by opening our classics to foreign imports has no understanding of what drives those who participate.
Vin Lumsden, in a recent article, quite rightly points out: "The handful of races designated as the Classics have served the purpose of showcasing the results of the county's Breeding industry and have given not only a financial, but even more importantly the gratifying and pleasurable incentive of breeding the best horses--" He goes on to point out the quality of horses being imported leaves a lot to be desired. On the question of imports, it was always the intention that the majority of imports would have been fillies who would add to our breeding stock after their racing career. Unfortunately, this has not been the case, and a number of mediocre runners are now parading around our race track.
In an effort to ensure that only quality horses are imported, the promoters should restrict all imports to the top classes only. That is where we need additional runners. After two years, if they can't perform at that level then they can revert to the lower claiming ranks. I recall that prior to the introduction of this infamous claiming system imported horses were restricted to the A and B classes. In those days we had competitive, exciting and enjoyable racing.
We need to re-examine all the factors that can bring about a "new beginning" in our racing industry.
Howard L. Hamilton CD JP is a former Chairman of Caymans Track Ltd. And is currently president of The Thoroughbred Owners and Breeders Association of Jamaica. He can be contacted at: howham@cwjamaica.com
