Sport

Get back to the track, Jack

By ORVILLE CLARKE, Freelance Writer

MEMBERS of the Jamaica Racehorse Trainers Association (JRTA) yesterday voted to end their three-week boycott of racing effectively paving the way for a resumption at Caymanas Park on Saturday.

According to JRTA president Vin Edwards, the trainers decided to end their boycott at a general meeting in the Trainers' Room at Caymanas Park yesterday morning, nominating horses for Saturday's meet in the process.

When contacted yesterday, Edwards was asked about the contents of a second letter he received from JRC chairman Rudolph Muir on Tuesday, but he refused to comment, saying instead it was one of the reasons why the press was barred from the meeting.

However, a usually reliable source yesterday said that Muir, in his letter, gave the assurance that the recent amendments would be waived until the conciliatory talks were completed.

Uncertainty

Meanwhile, CTL's racing secretary Denzil Miller said110 horses were nominated yesterday.

"I never expected to get more than this due to the uncertainty", he confessed. "Some trainers may not have been able to prepare their horses to full extent following the effects of Hurricane Ivan otherwise we would have received a lot more entries."

On the afternoon of Saturday, September 4, members of the JRTA took protest action by with holding nominations for the race meet of Wednesday, September 8, arising from a dispute between their association and the Jamaica Racing Commission (JRC) following seven amendments to Rule 247 by the Commission, effective September 1.

This provides stiffer penalties for trainers with positive findings. The gazetted amendments saw the maximum fine moving from $100,000 to $250,000 and suspensions up to seven years for Class One Drugs.

Reacting to this move, the trainers say the JRC went ahead with the amendments without full consultation with their association and subsequently withheld nominations for three more race meets ­Saturday, September 11, Wednesday, September 15 and Saturday, September 18.

They called on the intervention of State Minister of Finance Fitz Jackson who last Friday agreed to sit with both parties at a meeting on Wednesday, September 29 at the Ministry of Finance, Heroes Circle, starting at 10:00 a.m.