In response to the abandonment of races nine and ten last Saturday, frankly, many were taken by surprise that so many punters failed to side with the jockeys’ position that the rain-soaked, sloppy condition of the racing surface constituted an undeniable hazard to the horses and, far more importantly, to the riders themselves. Even the most inexperienced pilot in the saddle is more than capable of determining whether a racing surface is safe or perilous.
Information shared by a reliable source confirmed that rainfall in the Gregory Park, St Catherine location of Caymanas Park was nothing short of torrential throughout the 24-hour period leading up to post time. While the morning remained dry, the looming forecast of additional downpours meant the track maintenance team faced an extraordinary challenge in trying to preserve an even and reliable racing surface.
As long as the threat of further precipitation held off, the riders experienced no issues with underfoot conditions during the opening seven events. Indeed, the track was officially described as "fast" at the off-time of race seven at 3:32 pm. However, a severe cloudburst struck shortly thereafter, and before the post time of the subsequent race, the racing surface was officially downgraded to "sloppy."
A telling moment occurred while negotiating the final bend with just over two furlongs remaining in the 5 ½-furlong eighth race: all seven riders deliberately steered their mounts away from the inside rails and toward the centre of the track. That manoeuvre served as a clear signal indicating the jockeys' deep misgivings regarding the treacherous evenness of the inner surface. To this writer, their ultimate conclusion that continuing to ride posed an unacceptable risk for races nine and ten was entirely predictable.
Truth be told, funding the proper maintenance of the Caymanas racing surface has remained a persistent challenge for successive promoting companies ever since the historic 1959 switch from grass to sand.
One vividly recalls 1988, when the track's cushion was so thoroughly inadequate that mediocre runners clocked world-class times at regular intervals. Twelve years prior to that, the legendary visiting English jockey Joe Mercer famously remarked that the track was so punishingly fast that "this causes a lot of wear and tear on the horses." While the equine population of that era boasted robust United Kingdom bloodlines capable of absorbing such impacts, today’s racing stock carries a heavy American influence and proves far more delicate.
Fortunately, vital government funding enabled a complete rebuild from the track's base, and the introduction of a digital tote in 1989 provided a major boost. The local industry thrived for the subsequent three years, only to be severely derailed by the introduction of the claiming system in January 1993, a policy founded on the false economic premise that high-volume horse trading constituted a viable business activity.
Before modern climate shifts fully took hold, a powerful southerly breeze regularly swept in off the sea on most days. In response to inquiries made over the years, industry insiders noted that due to a complete lack of the specialized moisture-control equipment required to anchor the surface, substantial amounts of sand were blown away daily, severely compounding maintenance woes.
Despite these hurdles, there is no question that the Caymanas circuit remains the finest sand track designed and laid this side of the Atlantic. It offers immense structural advantages, including a full circular nine-furlong layout complemented by two-furlong chutes designed for five-furlong straight dashes and a nine-furlong configuration featuring a straight run of over four and a half furlongs. Having had the pleasure of interviewing numerous top-class visiting riders over the years, one notes they are consistently impressed by these architectural design features, alongside the generous width of the track and a homestretch measuring just over two furlongs. Furthermore, the downward slope from the half-mile pole to the final bend, leading into a very gentle gradient down the stretch, underscores its world-class layout. It is worth noting that abandoning thoroughbred race meetings, whether on grass or sand, under the threat of severe inclement weather is a standard global practice, meaning the Caymanas facility is hardly unique in this regard.
Against the backdrop of a struggling industry grappling with a complex racing product and an inability to adequately expand its customer base for sustainable profitability, suggesting that the promoting company’s operatives are underperforming is entirely unfair, especially given the heavy operating expenses involved.
While technical improvements are unquestionably required, the promoting company is trapped in a relentless daily financial balancing act just to stay operational. Consequently, they can offer no definitive timetable for the capital expenditures mandated for track upgrades and other obligations under the Divestment Agreement that has remained in place since February 2017.
