Howard Hamilton

Last weekend was a glorious weekend of racing that was enjoyed by all. All credit to RED STRIPE for making such an exciting race day possible on Saturday. There were 12 competitive races with the added attraction of overseas jockeys adding to the enjoyment of the thousands of fans at the track and at the many off-track stations throughout the island.

MIRACLE MAN proved what a really super horse he is. He won the Superstakes for the second consecutive year and extended his winning streak to 10. There is no doubt that, should he remain sound, he will surpass the record of 12 currently held by WAR ZONE.

Seeking glory

MIRACLE MAN now ships to take on the 'big boys' in Puerto Rico and all of Jamaica will be supporting his efforts over there. This column wishes the connections - owner, Joe Duany, and trainer A. E. 'Billy' Williams all the best as they seek to bring glory, not only to themselves, but, more importantly, to the racing industry of Jamaica.

As good as the day was, there were some inexcusable unprofessional bungling. The incident with the visor being displaced on THUNDER CLAP should never have happened and I hope that a full enquiry will bring those guilty to book.

The operations of our stewards again presented a major area of concern. Why, in God's name, it should take 15-20 minutes to make a decision on possible interference is beyond me. There was an incident in the Red Stripe Mile, the fifth race, where the horse finishing second allegedly interfered with the horse finishing fourth and another horse.

The public had to wait over 15 minutes before the race was declared official so that they could collect their money and invest in the following race. This is just not good enough and the regulators have to make some changes.

If there are no competent people locally then import some. We cannot develop our industry like this especially when opportunities for some major innovations are being discussed.

Urgent need for professional handicappers

The RED STRIPE MILE also demonstrated the urgent need for professional handicappers. The public will never be convinced that there was not some special arrangement which allowed CLOCK WORK to be given the race with a weight allotment of only 51.5 kilos.

Here is a horse that wins an allowance race on October 4, carrying 57 Kilos and runs second on October 14 with 56 Kilos, yet is allowed to give away weight to FORMALLY GOLD, who last won a sprint race sometime in May carrying 52.5 Kilos Even the owner of CLOCKWORK was flabbergasted at the handicaps even though he was given the winners purse of J$ 1.2 million.

Promoters, this situation cannot continue, if there are no competent people locally, bring someone from overseas to train a group of competent Jamaicans, but we cannot move the industry like this.

Following the race day on Saturday was the annual yearling sale promoted by the Thoroughbred Owners and Breeders Association on Sunday.

This turned out to be the most successful sale ever. A total of 128 horses were sold with a total value of J$55 million.

The average sale price was a record J$426,000. None of this would have been possible without buyers from overseas. Horses bred in Jamaica are now in great demand in Trinidad and Barbados - so much for those uninformed who keep writing and talking that the breeders are not producing. Of the horses sold some 25 per cent were purchased by overseas buyers

The Trinidad Levy Board - the equivalent to our Betting Gaming and Lottery Commission - provides incentives to encourage the purchase of horses in this sale.

Uncertain future

How nice it would be to operate in a country where the authorities respect and recognise the value of the racing industry. I am convinced that the withdrawal of major sponsors from the racing industry is because of the uncertainty of the future of the industry.

The breeders have shown the way - survival can only come through export. The promoters also need to appreciate that the expansion of their business can only come from exporting the Caymanas Park racing product.

Can you imagine how the Jamaican diaspora would jump at the opportunity to wager on Jamaican races?

I predict that if that were ever done the sales in our Pari Mutuel would double in less than a year. Can you imagine what that would mean to our suffering horsemen?

We need to prepare ourselves so that we have a suitable product to market:

Regulators must be facilitators, not a bureaucratic source of hindrance and delays.

Races must start on time. The results must be official within three to five minutes of the end of a race.

Introduce a show pool in addition to the current win, and place pools.

The starter and his attendants will need to be constantly reschooled.

There must be discipline at the starting gates with handlers in uniform and looking professional.

The list can go on and on, but what a day that would be if we could ever made this move?

"To accomplish great things, we must not only act, but also dream, not only plan, but also believe."

Howard L. Hamilton, C.D., J.P., is a former chairman of Caymanas Track Limited and is the current president of the Thoroughbred Owners & Breeders Association. He can be contacted at howham@cwjamaica.com.