Racing: Owners invest $3m in foreign stock

Racing:
Owners invest $3m in foreign stock ... promise of exciting racing by Christmas
*with AZAD ALI*
OWNERS invested more than $2 million in foreign horses -- a sign of renewed confidence in the racing industry. A number of top owners recently bought 14 two-year-olds at the Ocala Sales in Florida, USA, ranging from US $40,000 (TT $245,000) to US$70,000 (TT $450,000) to boost the racing stock in the higher classes. This comes on the heels of the local Yearling Sales last December which owners invested close to $3 million in 63 “babes”. Come later this year, most of these local and imported horses will be racing, in the Stakes and Grade races. For the Christmas meeting, fans can expect some exciting and competitive races in the top class, where new equine stars can emerge that will bring out the crowds again at the race track, like in the past at the Queen’s Park Savannah on Boxing Day and New Years’. Among the owners who bought the expensive importations were Justice Wendell Kangaloo (4), Junior Sammy (1), Ronald Khan (2), Derrick Chin (2), Gerard Ferreira (2), Harold Chadee (1) and Merlin Samlalsingh (2).	This Ready Jet Set “posse” was all smiles as the three-year-old filly chalked up three consecutive victories, the last in the feature Santa Rosa Dash (Handicap Gr.11) on Saturday. About 20 turfites have formed themselves into a syndicate to invest in horses and have so far been successful. Happy connections of Jacobite were elated over the victory in the winner’s enclosure but had no reason to smile again as the horse was disqualified from first position and placed second for interfering with Windjammer, which placed second.
Ferreira, then Arima Race Club (ARC) president, said the racing industry is set to get back on the right track with the coming to being of Santa Rosa Park Ltd. to replace the Arima Race Club. He said by June this year co-mingling with American tracks will come on stream to allow punters to wager into the American betting system, collecting the same payments made on tracks in the USA. The current local pool system will be abolished. Ferreira said the new racing company comprising stakeholders in the industry will come on stream within the next three months. He is also hoping that the government will back the rationalisation plan which was submitted to Trade Minister Ken Valley to turn around the fortunes. The plan is before Cabinet for approval, sources said. Racehorse Owners Association (ROA) President Glen Billioun said the recent investment in horses by a number of owners is a renewed faith in the industry. He said it would seem that the stakeholders are coming together with more vigour to ensure vibrancy in the future of the industry. ARC vice-president John O’Brien feels that the prompt payment of stakes is one of the reasons why owners are coming back to the sport. In the past, owners had to wait between two and four months to collect payment of first prizes but that changed since the Betting Levy Board took over that responsibility last year.

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