That Caymanas Park fiasco
Published:Thursday | May 2, 2024 | 12:07 AM
THE EDITOR, Madam:
What happened at Caymanas Park races on Saturday, April 27, was indeed a fiasco. A cancellation of the first and sixth races should not be repeated. It all seems to be about the money, and I blame the promoters Supreme Ventures Racing and Entertainment Ltd (SVREL) completely.
Rules are rules, and time is important. I understand that the rule that there should not be a delay of longer than five minutes from the published start time of each race–and that regulators have the discretion to have the race run or cancel it after such time–came into effect on April 1, 2024. This has never been adhered to.
The CEO of SVREL spoke of losses of about $25,000,000 because the two races were cancelled. He noted, too, that ‘turfites’ will always wait for the last minutes to place bets, so a lot of money will be gambled at that stage. But the fact is, if the time is known and adhered to, there will always be last-minute betting.
If $25 million can be lost from two races in one day, this means a lot of money is being made. It also means that a lot more could be spent on improving purse money and remuneration for the personnel involved, such as providing outriders to catch loose horses, thus cutting down on delays. Money is not all, and we need things to be done in a professional manner.
For races to be transmitted overseas, time is important; and having to wait for 40 to 50 minutes between races most times is a bit tiresome. Also of note, the CEO shared that he was called to protect the regulators from a group of racing personnel who were angry at the cancellations. This highlights the current breakdown of discipline in the country, with persons using ‘badmanism’ in everything to intimidate people. I strongly believe those persons should be sanctioned for their behaviour, and hope there will be some improvement in the future.
J. BROMFIELD
Runaway Bay, St Ann