Cliff Williams
SIX MONTHS of this year have sped by and the way things are going it looks almost a certainty that the second half of 2006 will rush by and at December 31 nothing will have changed in any significant way for the industry and development will still be in the realm of wishful thinking.
The thorny issue of increased remuneration for the grooms continues to add to the general atmosphere of uncertainty which has now become a feature of the industry's existence.
Apparently there has been no consistency in the way a temporary increase is being disbursed to the grooms and there is still a level of restiveness in their ranks.
In fact, the threat for a withdrawal of service has not dissipated entirely and things simmer below the surface.
NOT IMPRESSED
As far as I understand it the owners are not overly impressed with the $50 million increase in total purse allotment to be implemented this year.
From what I can gather the thinking in and amongst the hierarchy of the owners is that whilst any increase is welcome, this level will not go very far in making any real difference to their overall position.
The fact of the matter is that when the basic expense of keeping a horse in training is off against likely returns it has to be conceded that there was never any point in history when purses were considered adequate.
From my perspective, the promoting company in general, and over the last decade in particular, has always accorded the purse structure the importance it deserves. The problem though is that it has been plagued with unsatisfactory levels of profitability driven by a lack of capital development.
Truth be told, when the lotteries and numbers game came on stream nearly a decade and a half ago the promoting company was not in a position to respond to a more dynamic marketplace.
Things were compounded by a trend where less investment was taking place in the breeding industry which eventually led to a somewhat steady decline in the equine population available for racing. This factor, in and of itself, has had a negative impact on the viability of the commercial operation of the industry.
On the more positive side, horseracing as an entertainment spectacle remains intact and 2006, based on how the first six months have evolved, could see another exciting race for the jockeys championship between reigning champion Brian Harding and immediate past title holder Trevor Simpson.
As things stand currently, Simpson on 38 wins is leading Harding by two more visits to the winner's enclosure from 186 and 122 rides respectively. What is also of significance is that Harding took a one month hiatus at the beginning of the year and therefore enjoys a much higher strike rate.
Even at this stage it would appear that reigning champion Wayne Dacosta will win yet another title with a lead of nearly $7 million over his nearest rival Anthony Nunes. Dacosta has brought 216 starters to the races already to Nunes' 163 whilst Robert Derby has saddled 151.
At this point, less than 400 races have been completed in 38 racedays, which is significantly less than what would have been the case even as recently as three years ago.
MORE COMPETITIVE
In fairness to the promoters though, the programmes have been more competitive in recent times and there has been some improvement in sales turnover.
I would imagine that the second half of 2006 will remain fixed in a business as usual mode. My main concern at the moment is that another hurricane season is here and the fragile infrastructure of the racing plant will once again be put to the test if we are not lucky.
Even if there is no basis for optimism on the evidence of what has unfolded so far in this year the fraternity should press in a positive frame of mind that somehow things will be better going forward.
