The usually confident and assured president of the Thoroughbred Owners and Breeders Association (TOBA), Howard Hamilton, is expressing doubts and fears for the future of the horse racing breeding industry in Jamaica, following the results of the yearling sale held last Sunday at Caymanas Park.

Hamilton said the final sale figure of $81.9 million was not only disappointing but also confirms that year by year people are losing interest in breeding horses in Jamaica. This year’s final sale figure was considerably lower than last year’s figure of just over $110 million.

“If the Trinidadians were not present, the sale would have been a complete disaster. We, meaning the racing industry, have not been able to get new buyers into the system and year after year we are struggling. In addition, the mixed signals from the promoting company are impacting on regular buyers and new ones as well,” the TOBA president told the Complete Racing Guide.

Hamilton said that when there is talk of reducing breeders’ bonus, existing and potential investors are placed in a quandary. “Added to this is the fact that when the Trinidad owners buy horses here and they win in Trinidad, the breeders receive no bonus payments, which is most unfortunate,” he said.

The TOBA president made the point that these prevailing conditions are making it very difficult for local breeders to first of all exist and secondly to plot a path for growth.

“All business entities in Jamaica at the present time have to deal with the current economic conditions, but when every day our dollar loses strength against other major currencies, and there is a prohibitive tax imposed by government, then growth is not even something we can talk about. We are in difficult times and I am worried,” Hamilton opined.