The Thoroughbred Owners and Breeders Association of Jamaica (TOBA) has announced that its annual Mixed Sale will now be staged on Sunday, December 7, following weeks of uncertainty in the aftermath of Hurricane Melissa.
Originally scheduled for November 23, the sale was postponed after Melissa, a Category 5 hurricane, tore across Jamaica, leaving widespread destruction in its wake.
TOBA directors explained that the new date was chosen to provide consignors with additional time to recondition horses that may have been affected by the storm. December 7 was selected over November 30 to ensure that the animals could be properly prepared for sale, while also aligning the event with the US$300,000 Mouttet Mile, which will be run the day before.
The hurricane’s toll on the breeding sector has been severe. At least two major farms sustained major damage. Orange Valley Estates Limited in Trelawny, operated by TOBA director Alec Henderson and his wife Jacqui, was battered by the storm.
The YS Farm in St Elizabeth, managed by Dawn Browne, also bore the brunt of Melissa’s fury, as the western half of the island absorbed the full force of the hurricane.
Melissa has been described as the most powerful hurricane ever to make landfall in Jamaica.
