Mr Howard Hamilton, President of the Thoroughbred Owners & Breeders Association (TOBA) in his advertorial “Purses In Limbo” in the Track & Pools of September 28 and 29 posited that the current annual cost to owners stands at “close to $3.0 billion to prepare horses for racing programmes and the payment of $760 million was not acceptable.” This is nothing short of a sacrifice.
What TOBA and United Racehorse Trainers of Jamaica (URTAJ) refuse to recognise is that, through no fault of its investors as confirmed by Gary Peart CEO of Supreme Ventures Limited, the promoting company Racing & Entertainment Ltd has no option, but to present the racing product in the hopelessly flawed and therefore failed claiming system.
Predictably, this complicated format has not grown the customer base here or elsewhere.
Against the background of the US Jockey Club finally, admitting this fact after 94 years has tasked it statistics department Equibase to institute a System of Classification for handicapping the races in the jurisdictions.
The question must be asked if after 32 years TOBA and URTAJ will be amenable to a change. Truth be told, over the last three and a half decades the customer base shrunk, the number of foals declined by 55 per cent and races by 60 per cent hence this obviously belated response by the US Jockey Club.
In the opening event of nine, this for $180,000 claimers over 600 metres, 10-1 shot, She’s Nae Nae, a 12-race maiden, was driven to a one-length victory margin by Phillip Parchment for breeder/owner/trainer Courtney Williams.
Race two, a maiden for native and imported juveniles went to Jason DaCosta’s debutant Lovisa (2-5) partnered by Robert Halledeen to score by three and a half lengths over 800 metres straight.
On the day, another maiden success was claimed by the Lawrence Freemantle schooled Solo Black (9-2) by four and a half lengths ridden by champion Reyan Lewis over the 1600 metres the third event.
At odds of 7-1 in field of six, Rejected Raja (Omar Walker) outsprinted rivals by eight lengths over the 1000 metres round of race four for trainer Ian Roberts.
Once again Panamanian reinsman, Victor Sanchez displayed his full skill set in driving trainer Michael Spencer’s T Brady (5-2) to a close victory over the 1200 metres of race five.
In race six, Samantha Fletcher fresh from riding up in Canada, seemed more accomplished in guiding 6-5 favourite, trainer Rohan Mathie’s Lady Abhimala, to a victory by a half a length. The race was contested by a field of 11 over the 1000-metre straight course as the sixth event.
Title-chasing reinsman Raddesh Roman rode the first of a three-timer when 3-5 bet Great Trick, with a late run won the 1300-metre race seven for trainer Gary Griffiths.
For his second, crowd favourite Roman, was back in the winners’ enclosure aboard Brenda Boy (9-5) following the 1800-metre race eight for conditioner Victor Williams.
The riding triple was confirmed in the featured 1200-metre Ron Ron Trophy with US-bred three-year-old colt Impressive Force, schooled by former 14-time champion Philip Feanny scoring narrowly over the 1200 metres to making it the second from two starts.
