Crisis at Caymanas Park

Garwin Davis, Staff Reporter

WESTERN BUREAU:

A major crisis has engulfed the Caymanas Park horse racing facility where a bitter feud between the trainers association and management has so inflamed the $4 billion-a-year industry, observers say, that it is on the verge of collapse.

The feud, which had been simmering for a while, came to a boil several days ago when the Jamaica Race-Horse Trainers Association (JRTA), unhappy over new drug testing procedures that was being implemented by the Jamaica Racing Commission (JRC), refused to nominate horses for the two-day holiday race carnival. It took an eleventh hour intervention by Finance Minister, Dr. Omar Davies, to save the race-meet.

However, the move is being greeted with much cynicism in racing circles where many see it as a 'Band-Aid' measure to a problem that is so out of control that only drastic measures by the Government will suffice.

"We cannot continue like this," explained Howard Hamilton, chairman of Caymanas Track Limited (CTL) last Friday. "I am very angry at the approach to what is basically a non-issue here... When this holiday race-meet is over I intend to take strong action as I don't intend to go through this again. We cannot be living under the constant threat of people deciding, anytime they feel like it, to lock down racing and with no regard for the public."

Mr. Hamilton said that there was a force at work within the JRTA that revelled in the idea of having the ability to hold the entire racing fraternity at ransom.

"As always, it is a small minority that creates the problem," Mr. Hamilton added. "I have the full support of the Government on this one and those who believe they can continue on this road will soon find that they will have to answer for their deeds."

Richard Azan, a trainer who has broken ranks with the JRTA over what he said was the association's confrontational style, agreed.

"Racing is heading in the wrong direction," Mr. Azan said. "It is like a garrison within a garrison down here at Caymanas Park."

Many times champion trainer, Phillip Feanny, though a member of the JRTA, chastised his fellow trainers for what he said was counterproductive behaviour.

"We can't allow the ignorance of some to destroy the industry," Mr. Feanny said. "The authorities have to take action. I have seen these people threaten security guards, pull a gun in full view of everyone and intimidate who they want and yet nobody does anything -- this is madness."

The trainers' association has, within the past couple of years, been inclined to call off racing during several of their much-publicised disputes with the management of CTL.

Outspoken vice-president of the JRTA, Vin Edwards, stated "the racing plant despite all the money the company has been making has been badly managed and in some cases remain in deplorable condition."

Mr. Edwards said that he was aware that his outspokenness "tends to rub some people the wrong way" but noted that "even Jesus was considered a renegade. I only have the best interest of the racing plant at heart."

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