Racing suspended at Caymanas Park

Chairman of the Jamaica Racing Commission (JRC), Clovis Metcalfe, says horse racing at Caymanas Park has been suspended until further notice.

Metcalfe said the decision comes following two confirmed cases of the deadly coronavirus in Jamaica.    

“Our position to cancel horsing is based on the World Health Organisation declaring the virus a pandemic and the policy of the Government, which is to discourage large gathering and for me personally, it is out of an abundance of caution,” said Metcalfe.

“In other words, the saving of lives is more important than a sporting event,” he added.  

“We know that there are a lot of people that would be disappointed, but sometimes you can’t speak out of your pocket alone, because people health come first and so we think it is in the best interest of everyone,” Metcalfe stated.

Meanwhile, Solomon Sharpe, Chairman of the Supreme Ventures Racing and Entertainment Limited (SVREL), said the cancellation of racing will affect the coffers of the betting company. He added that this includes this weekend's highly-anticipated Saturday and Sunday race cards at Caymanas Park.

“A lot have been put into preparing the horses ... I am not so worried about the impact of the losses on the business as I am about the impact of the losses on the horsemen and everybody within our industry,” added Sharpe.