Howard Hamilton

The opening of a new, state-of- the-art Race Track at Caymanas in August 1959 heralded a new beginning for an expanded world class racing industry in Jamaica. The two promoting companies - Jamaica Turf Club and Knutsford Park Ltd., eventually joined forces and formed Caymanas Park ltd. Gone were the days of competitive acrimony.

The real estate value of Knutsford and the need for the expansion of the city was the catalyst for the establishment of "one of the most beautiful race course in the world" The closing of Little, Ascot at Marlie, in Old Harbour was a sad moment for the old-timers and sentimentalists, who have nostalgic memories of racing at the Old Harbour track.

New set of problems

The expansion of racing and the cost of maintaining a large plant brought with it a whole new set of problems. Racing had, up until then, been subsidised by the Sweepstakes - two run by the Turf Club and two by Knutsford Park Ltd. The expansion of races also brought with it an expanded off track betting operation, none of which was sanctioned by the promoters or the government, nor did this operation contribute to the cost of running the industry. The largest of these operators and the pioneer in this "profitable" activity was Frank Watson. Illegal offcourse betting flourished during the '50s and the '60s. Arrests and fines were often imposed, but there was no real commitment on the part of government to stamp it out.Purses failed to keep pace with the increasing expenses resulting in fewer horses filling the "A Class" races. The promoters were hard pressed to attract and keep owners, and purses were a constant source of contention.

The operation of these "bookmakers" is worth a more detailed look since history will prove that their activity, and how it has been dealt with by successive Governments, has had the most devastating effect on the racing industry.

For as long as racing has been around, so too has the bookmaker - the person who takes bets. Here they are not really "bookmakers" since they simply take bets and pay whatever the promoter pays. In the very early days, the bookmaker and horse-owner were often one and the same.

Forerunner

Modern bookmaking appears to have had its forerunner in the 1940s with Frank Watson's Off Course Betting, which conducted off-track pari-mutuel betting and acted as agent of the racing promoters of the day. A break with the promoting company in 1955 led to the start of independent bookmaking as we have it today.

Still, bookmaking was not an activity that was legally sanctioned and there was a constant adversarial relationship between the bookmakers and racing promoters who opposed their activities. Book-makers were generally perceived as scoundrels and parasites preying upon the racing industry, and their activities as detrimental to the sport.

In the 1960s representations were made to Sir Alexander Bustamante to legalise book-makers, and my good friend Cecil Charlton, the long-reigning president of the Jamaica Bookmakers Association, recalls that "The Chief" encouraged bookmakers to band together in an association, to better represent their case.

The Betting Gaming and Lotteries Act (1966) paved the way for legalised bookmaking. By the beginning of the 1970s, the twentieth century horse-racing pioneer, Frank Watson, was joined by other established companies. Track Price Plus and Charles Off Course Betting were already established, to be followed by Ideal Betting, Summit, Cornwall, Post to Post and much later, Folly's Betting in 1993.

Step in the right direction

The introduction of the Betting Gaming and Lotteries Act was hailed by all as a step in the right direction Stakeholders of the racing industry could now look forward to participating more meaningfully in the profits being made from the expanding 'Bookmaking' activity. In fact, the Racing Year of 1966-1967 had this to say, "The most notable feature of horse-racing in Jamaica during 1966 and 1967 was the increase in purse money due largely to grants received from the Government under the Levy Scheme." It is worth emphasising that one of the most important provisions of the Act (Part III section 16) is that funds should be made available for:

a) The improvement of breeds of horses;

b) The advancement or encouragement of veterinary science or veterinary education;

c) the improvement of horse racing

At the time when the Act was passed, the amount to be distributed was limited to fifty thousands pounds ($100,000.00 )

The records show that from as far back as 1970 representation was made explaining the inadequacy of this contribution and the need to increase it to $150,000 to meet the demands for more racedays and the increasing expenses being incurred by the various stake holders.

Next week, we will continue the unhappy saga of the demise of the Sport of Kings.