UPDATE: No racing at Caymanas Park this weekend ... SVREL's Sharpe admits error

Robert Bailey, Gleaner Writer

Chairman of Supreme Ventures and Racing Entertainment Limited (SVREL) Solomon Sharpe has apologised for what he described as a 'huge error', when he declared earlier today that racing will be on at Caymanas Park this weekend.

On Thursday, chairman of the Jamaica Racing Commission (JRC) Clovis Metcalfe said they had suspended racing indefinitely due to the recent confirmed cases of the coronavirus disease in Jamaica.

Metcalfe said the JRC had no choice but to follow the lead of the Government after the World Health Organization (WHO) declared the virus a pandemic.

"Our position to cancel horse racing is based on the WHO declaring the virus a pandemic and the policy of the Government, which is to discourage large gatherings and for me personally, it is out of an abundance of caution," Metcalfe said.

However, Sharpe announced earlier Friday that racing will be on this weekend after a meeting with the JRC.

He has since apologised for this and said that they are working with the JRC to have horse racing back as soon as possible. However, the resumption was not approved by the JRC.

"The racing commission was trying their best to allow us to have the races this weekend without spectators, but I don't think that they were expecting us to move so fast ...," said Sharpe.   

"Solomon Sharpe jumped the gun and tried to move for racing this weekend. I will take all responsibility for assuming that all races were on for this weekend," Sharpe said. "We have applied for new dates and we are now waiting for the commission to say when these new dates will be possible."

Twenty races were scheduled for this weekend, 10 today and 10 tomorrow.