HOWARD Hamilton, president of Thoroughbred Owners & Breeders Association (TOBA), in his advertorial “Purses In Limbo” in the
Track & Pools publication of September 28 and 29, posited that the current annual cost to owners stands at “close to $3.0 billion to prepare horses for racing programmes and the payment of $760 million was not acceptable”. This is nothing short of a sacrifice.

What TOBA and United Racehorse Trainers’ Association of Jamaica (URTAJ) refuse to recognize is that, through no fault of its investors — as confirmed by Gary Peart, CEO of Supreme Ventures Limited — the promoting company Racing & Entertainment Ltd has no option but to present the racing product in the hopelessly flawed and therefore failed claiming system. Predictably, this complicated format has not grown the customer base here nor elsewhere.

Against the background of US Jockey Club finally admitting this fact after 94 years, it has tasked its statistics department Equibase to institute a system of classification for handicapping the races in the jurisdictions. The question must be asked: After 32 years will TOBA and URTAJ be amenable to a change? Truth be told, over the last three and a half decades the customer base shrunk, the number of foals declined by 55 per cent and races by 60 per cent, hence this obviously belated response by US Jockey Club.

In the opening event of nine, this for $180,000 claimers over 600 metres, 10-1 shot She’s Nae Nae — a 12-race maiden — was driven to a one-length victory margin by Phillip Parchment for breeder/owner/trainer Courtney Williams. Race two, a maiden for native and imported juveniles, went to Jason DaCosta’s debutante Lovisa (2-5), partnered by Robert Halledeen, who scored by three and a half lengths over 800 metres straight.

On the day, another maiden success was claimed by the Lawrence Freemantle-schooled
Solo Black (9-2) by four and a half lengths, ridden by champion Reyan Lewis over the 1600 metres the third event. At odds of 7-1 in a field of six, Rejected Raja (Omar Walker) outsprinted rivals by eight lengths over the 1000-metres round of race four for trainer Ian Roberts.

Once again, Panamanian reinsman Victor Sanchez displayed his full skill set in driving trainer Michael Spencer’s T Brady (5-2) to a close victory over the 1200 metres of race five. In race six Samantha Fletcher — fresh from riding up in Canada — seemed more accomplished in guiding 6-5 favourite, trainer Rohan Mathie’s Lady Abhimala to a victory by a half a length. The race was contested by a field of 11, over the 1000-metre straight course, as the sixth event.

Title-chasing reinsman Raddesh Roman rode the first of a three-timer when 3-5 bet
Great Trick, with a late run, won the 1300-metre race seven for trainer Gary Griffiths. For his second, crowd favourite Roman was back in the winners’ enclosure aboard
Brenda Boy (9-5) following the 1800-metre race eight for conditioner Victor Williams.

The riding triple was confirmed in the featured 1200-metre Ron Ron Trophy, with US-bred, three-year-old colt Impressive Force, schooled by 14-time champion Philip Feanny, scoring narrowly over the 1200 metres to make it the second from two starts.

The Training Feat Award is presented to Courtney Williams for persevering with five-year-old mare She’s Nae Nae to achieve the success belatedly. The Best Winning Gallop was executed by the inexperienced Impressive Force (USA) who, off the pace early, had a lot to do to get to the front in time. For the Jockeyship Award the total experience and skills of Roman were required as the winning distances were three parts of a length for the first and a neck each for the last two winners.