Cliff Williams - A VIEW FROM A CLIFF

It is now abundantly clear to me that the regulators are not giving enough attention to the uncontestable fact that the most important participant in the racing industry is the betting public, without whom there would be no business.

To date there has been no official response to the important issues raised in this column and elsewhere as it relates to how the punters are being treated in terms of timely access to vital pieces of information necessary in aiding the perception that one can have confidence in the integrity of the racing product.

The main issue, and I find it a little difficult to understand, is how, even in the face of overwhelming evidence that the use of the tongue-tie can influence the performance of a horse in one direction or another, it has not been returned to the list of declarable items after it was erroneously removed last year.

Final racing programme

Another matter raised here is the frequent publishing of the final racing programme without the full list of riders as trainers submit entries at times without being aware of eligibility status of the declared jockey.

I suppose it is understandable how this could occur, but with declaration taking place fully 48 hours before post time, there is no reason why a trainer should be given more than 24 hours to find a rider so that the information can be released in time for publication.

There have been too many instances where trainers are allowed to declare and have the services of top-flight riders less than half an hour before a race and long after punters have staked their Pick Nine and Super Six wagers without the benefit of having this information.

Incidentally, these two forms of wagers have now become the primary focus of most punters now so it cannot be business as usual with the programme information where these races are concerned.

Extended layoffs

Then there is also the issue of horses returning from extended layoffs and being allowed to race without the publication of any exercise reports. In some jurisdictions all such horses must be seen in a public workout in a stipulated minimum time over a given distance.

Elsewhere in the world everything is being done to enhance and build the confidence of the bettors in the integrity of the racing product. There is no good reason why the same approach cannot be taken in Jamaica.

I would therefore like an explanation and a response from the regulators and promoters as to why the local punters do not enjoy the same status and entitlement to information as those in other jurisdictions.