KINGSTON, Jamaica - At least two of the recently announced fee increases by the regulatory arm of racing, the Jamaica Racing Commission (JRC), in Jamaica have been rolled back.
The increased JRC fees include the licence for owners up from $4,000 to $10,000 payable every two years; licence fee for trainers from $2,000 to $4,000 payable yearly, licence fee for jockeys from $1,000 to $2,000, and for grooms the cost is set to move from $500 to $1,000. The fee for wearing wrong or unregistered colours moved from $1,500 to $4,000.
The JRC further announced that they will be increasing training agreements associated with all horses but especially those horses, who have been claimed. This fee moved from $2,000 to $5,000.
The medium has been informed that the proposed fee increase on the wearing of wrong or unregistered colours has been changed. Instead of moving from $1,500 to $4,000, the listed amount is now $3,000, while the increase for training agreements remains at $2,000.
Before news got out about the rollback, at least two heads of professional associations in racing expressed their views on the matter.
Ryan Darby, president of the United Racehorse Trainers’ Association of Jamaica (URTAJ), said that while his association is not agreeing, they are willing to accept some of the proposals.
“We are not in agreement with all of the increases, but we are willing to work with some of them,” Darby said in an interview.
Commenting before specifically on the increase in training agreements, Darby said: “The fee is excessive, it would be millions of dollars for the owners will have to find, and these owners are already losing, and maybe this would be the last straw that breaks the camel’s back.”
In his reaction, Shane Ellis, president of the Jamaica Jockeys’ Guild, said that his association is yet to agree on the new fees proposed by the JRC.
“I do not think it is relevant. First of all, they (the JRC) have not given us any notice; they just brought it on us. We need time to reflect on the matter and consider the weight of the increases and its relevance,” Ellis shared while adding that his Guild “will have further discussions on the matter”.
