Ready for racing - SVREL, URTA eager for Caymanas track activity on June 20
Published:Friday | June 12, 2020 | 12:23 AMRobert Bailey/Gleaner Writer
Supreme Ventures Racing and Entertainment Limited (SVREL) chairman Solomon Sharpe is delighted that horse racing will resume on June 20.
Sharpe told The Gleaner yesterday that Caymanas Park is in splendid condition and that Supreme Ventures Racing is ready for the restart of racing next Saturday.
“It is very good because it is an awesome feeling for us,” Sharpe said. “We have worked hard with the JRC (Jamaica Racing Commission) and the BGLC (Betting, Gaming and Lotteries Commission) to get to this point.”
Racing at Caymanas Park will return from a three-month suspension after the COVID-19 pandemic forced the venue’s closure and brought the local industry to a standstill.
Finance Minister Nigel Clarke told parliamentarians on Wednesday that Off-Track Betting parlours (OTBs) will be allowed to resume operations under outlined protocols aimed at limiting the spread of the virus.
Sharpe said that his organisation has been doing work behind the scenes with parent company Supreme Ventures, as well as other stakeholders, to ensure the safe resumption of racing.
The racing surface is in immaculate condition, and the fact that we have gotten some rain will help a race track like this,” he said.
“Nomination day for racing will be Tuesday for Saturday, and we are looking forward to some good support from the horsemen because everybody has been chomping at the bit, so it is time for us to get to work,” Sharpe said.
SPECTATOR GUIDELINES
Sharpe says that he is awaiting some of the guidelines from the JRC as it relates to the number of spectators who will be allowed on the property for each raceday.
“We have applied to have spectators on a scaled-down basis for when we start up and in order for you to manage those protocols,” he said. “We will have to charge a fee to come in because we would then have to account for everyone that is in the property. However, we are still awaiting the details of all of what has been approved for opening day.
United Racehorse Trainers Association (URTA) president Ryan Darby said he is looking forward to the restart because stakeholders have lost significant sums of money over the past three months.
“We are glad that we have confirmed the date because we have suffered millions of dollars in losses over the past three months,” he said. “It is also a major relief for us because we have been pushing and fighting to have racing. We are ready, and the horses are prepared for next Saturday.”