Letter to the Sports Editor

Oct 21, 2008 Sports

Madness in the racing fraternity

Dear Editor,
We sometimes try to destroy the said things we spent years building, could someone give an answer for this trend?

With regards to the conflict between the Racing Authority and Administration of Rising Sun turf Club; this fiasco could have been avoided.

This is the unedited truth from my prospective, I would like the actors in this play to respond and refute what I am about to say in the latter paragraphs.

The Guyana Horse Racing Authority headed by President Mr. Vickram Odit has drafted new Legislation to incorporate regulations governing horseracing to coincide with racing in Trinidad, Barbados, Jamaica and other Caricom Nations. This is in keeping with the soon to be introduced free movement of skilled Caricom Nationals, Sports personalities and sporting activities in general.

Copies of the draft Legislation are presently at the office of the Ministry of Sports and Culture headed by the Honourable Dr. Frank Anthony in keeping with the passage of this document in Parliament as is required by our Caricom Nationals.

Under the supervision of the Ministry representative Mr. Steve Ninvalle, an Interim Committee was elected with representatives from each Race Track onboard along with the normal President, Vice President, stewards, Classifiers, Secretary etc.

After lengthy Horse Trading dates for the Calendar year 2008 was agreed upon, signed and acknowledge by all relevant parties concerned it was further agreed that no changes of racing dates, Provisional Programmes etc, will be accepted unless the Club gives valid reason for same in a timely manner to the Racing Authority.

The Rising sun Turf Club was scheduled to run off a day of Horseracing on September 28. Up to the customary three (3) weeks prior to the event, no Provisional Programme was circulated to owners and trainers to guide in the preparation of horses.

This writer intervened and tried to get an understanding what was going on. The Administrators of the Track indicated they cannot submit the Programme to the racing Authority for approval and distribution due to the Organisation that involved in the Days’ activities having some problems in securing funds in excess of Two Million Dollars ($2,000,000.00) to make this event a go.

Two (2) suggestions were given by me to either reduce the stakes after consulting with some prominent horse owners; either taking out the 3-Year-old event, the C Class etc, or due to the time frame give Mahaicony Race Course that date for September 28 and I as the Administrator of the Ryan Crawford memorial Turf Club and Sports Facility, will work alone with the Racing Authority with the possibility of ceding my date to facilitate these corporate sponsors on October 12.

Please bear in mind all Clubs have agreed that for the Health and Fitness of the horses and giving sponsors and Turfites justice, races will be at least two (2) weeks apart in event a Club finding itself one (1) week apart due to unforeseen reasons including weather, their Race Card will be adjusted downwards from G Class leaving out the Upper Class of horses including 3-year-old.

This did happen between Mahaicony and Rising Sun Turf Club where the former had to adjust after a complaint lodged to the GHRA by the latter.

The major fiasco commenced when the Rising Sun Administration unashamedly called the Administrators of No.6 Race Track, not withstanding the above gentleman’s understanding and bullied them to move their meeting from October 26 to October 19, to facilitate their Rodeo Meeting in keeping with Agriculture month (I haven’t seen anything listed by the Ministry of Agriculture for this event).

Readers please bear with me, No.6 Race Track is now holding Races on October 19, where is the two (2) weeks of space? Mr. Insanally Habibullah and a representative from Banks DIH approached me for assistance in giving up my date to facilitate their event for October 12.

The organizers were shown the mix up and after a telephone call to the President of GHRA it was agreed for the Authority to examine the issue.

Rising Sun cannot interfere with agreed dates and must instantly allow No.6 Race Track to have back their race date on the 26th, then the Authority will work towards facilitating our friends, the corporate sponsors, who was running off their Day of Racing on October 12.

The Management of the Rising Sun Turf Club called me and clearly stated that they are not willing to give back the September 26 date but wants me to guarantee that I will pull out from the date of October 12 to facilitate them.

It was explained, I am not authorized in trading dates. To this I was told that the Rising Sun Turf Club does not respect the President and the GHRA and it’s their Facility to do what they want, to this I indicated the conversation was over, the rest is what you saw in the Media, you be the judge.

By the way No.6 Race Track depends on Rising Sun starting gates to run their races. Banks DIH Ltd will be the major sponsor at both events on October 12 and 19.

We have to start buying and producing super horses to support this constant banging of Race Days’ at the various Tracks. In the end someone will suffer, I bet it wouldn’t be ME. Maybe you will see me at the Races.
Colin Elcock