KINGSTON, Jamaica – President of the Grooms’ Association of Jamaica, Fabian White has made it clear that the present demand for an increase in grooms’ salary has nothing to do with the current purse negotiations with stakeholders in the racing industry.
Grooms are presently paid a total of $4,200 to take care of one horse per week and are now asking for $5,400, an increase of $1,200, to groom one horse per week.
“Times are really tough for the over 400 licenced grooms at Caymanas Park. Things like food, medicine, rent, and the general cost of living have been going up and up and up, as they say, the cost of living has skyrocketed.
“Grooms are suffering, and an increase is needed quickly to deal with what we have to face day by day.
“I want to make it very clear, that the increase we are asking for is not based on whether or not there is a general increase in purse money. We want this increase to maintain our already difficult way of life,” White shared with Quickgallop.com.
Trainers, owners, and other stakeholders have been asking the grooms to hold off a bit until a new purse structure is agreed on with the local promoter of horse racing.
That negotiating initiative reached deadlock earlier today (Tuesday, July 11, 2023) when an offer to increase purses by $27 million at a meeting held at Caymanas Park was rejected by stakeholders.
“While all grooms understand what is happening with the trainers and owners; we do understand, but grooms can no longer afford to do the hard work we are doing and even live at a minimum without an increase.
“There is the strong possibility that if we do not get the reasonable increase we are asking for, we will have to withdraw our services,” White said.
