Cliff Williams
THE OPENING Classics of the 2005 racing year will take place this Saturday at Caymanas Park against the background of an industry shrouded in uncertainty as to the immediate and long-term future as far as new investment for modernisation is concerned.
Based on last year's calendar it must be of concern that only 820 live races were run, significantly down from the average of just over a thousand which was the norm for the last two decades.
The horse population has certainly not kept pace with what prevailed previously, and this is the basis for much of the uncertainty. For example, a major trainer has also pointed out that since the start of this year, there have been too few opportunities for top class horses to compete and his principal client is far from happy with this scenario.
Fully three months of this year has sped by and predictably, the lengthy campaign for the change of leadership of the ruling People's National Party has put the matter of the private investment in the industry on hold indefinitely.
Mrs. Portia Simpson Miller, a new Prime Minister, the first female of the seven since Independence, is taking office now and from this column its congratulations to her.
DIVESTMENT NEGOTIATIONS
This is likely to have an influence on what happens to the divestment negotiations that have been dragging on for in excess of eight months as she may very well want to have a look at this process.
There is also the issue of increased remuneration for riders and grooms, which is still pending as the owners are claiming, quite legitimately it seems, that without a purse increase they will encounter difficulty in meeting these demands.
In the meantime, William Chin See, board chairman of Caymanas Track Limited, has asked for what is essentially round table discussion with all parties to deal with the matter.
President of the Jamaica Racehorse Owners Association, Laurence Heffes, has been advising the Jamaica Racing Commission of his interpretation of the figures as they relate to the owners' collective earnings from purses. By his calculations, there are important differences between what CTL claimed to have disbursed and the amount owners actually received over the last year.
This is a very interesting issue and I will deal with it more extensively in another column as Heffes has a position on his members' ability to pay in the current circumstances.
2000 GUINEAS
Looking now at the 2000 Guineas, champion juvenile Rampage did not overly impress in the Prince Consort Stakes in preparation for this Classic as he just scrambled home. Although he gave five kilos to The Smoker, subsequently disqualified from second, based on the complete and absolute dominance of Rampage in the juvenile campaign, weight concession or not, for him to just last over 1400 metres must be cause for concern.
Still, I fully expect him to score comfortably today, but his unimpressive Prince Consort performance perhaps will give just a little bit of hope to his rivals.
In the 1000 Guineas Swing By's impressive run in the 1400-metre Thornbird Stakes when she humbled the opposition, suggests that of the fillies she has made most improvement in her second season. There is therefore nothing in the form book to indicate that the rivals can turn this form around.
The start of the 2006 three-year-olds Futurities and Classics campaign is a welcome distraction from the concerns facing the racing industry at this time. It will be interesting to find out at the end of it all if any of the foals of 2004 are especially gifted.
