Well-needed addition coming to Caymanas Park

With temperatures climbing and a significant water shortage affecting sections of St Catherine, Lorna Gooden, general manager of Supreme Ventures Racing and Entertainment Limited (SVREL), said the company is working to address the issue with the erection of a new well at Caymanas Park.

The $65 million undertaking is expected to be in place this month and should bring much-needed relief to the horses and horsemen who depend on the precious commodity during their daily operations at the Gregory Park, St Catherine-based facility.

“Without water, the equine population cannot function. Without water, the track cannot be the premium top-class quality facility that we want it to be, and so indeed, we are happy,” said Gooden.

“It is well-needed because right now. The production output from the current well is falling low, particularly when it is extremely hot, and so we really need to get this going by early August,” she said.

Gooden pointed out that several stakeholders have been voicing their concerns and outlining the effects of the low volume of water that the current well is producing and that SVREL saw the urgent need to seriously improve the water supply at the race track.

She also pointed out that the current licence for extraction from the existing well is 1,200 cubic metres, or 220 gallons of water per minute. It is not clear if the new well will be operated under similar perimetres.

“They (stakeholders) are a little impatient with us, and rightly so, but COVID-19 has slowed down a number of operations and has halted a number of activities that we were planning, but we are back on the way, back on track, working slowly towards putting this in place for the benefit of the horsemen,” said Gooden.

Gooden admitted that when SVREL took over the operations of the facility four-years ago, they were not expecting that they were going to have to commission a brand-new well for the race track.

“It is a significant capital outlay that Supreme Ventures had not budgeted for in our divestment deal because we were understanding that there would have been sufficient water reserve on the property to facilitate all our operations,” Gooden stated. “However, it is a significant boost for the property, which is why we are going through the capital outlay because we know that without water, we can’t function.”

EXCELLENT DEVELOPMENT

Meanwhile, Fabian Whyte, president of the Grooms Association of Jamaica, is delighted with the development especially given the current temperatures affecting the island.

“I think that this is excellent for us because we really need a lot of water on the property for it to function properly,” said Whyte. “The heat wave and drought are very wicked, and so without the water, then the horses will be (seriously affected) because they have to bathe with it, they have to drink it very often, and so giving us this well will be significant.”

Trainer Jason DaCosta, son of recently deceased many-time champion trainer Wayne DaCosta, admitted that the low production of water from the current well has seriously affected his operations and is anticipating that the new addition will alleviate many of the challenges faced where the availability of water is concerned.

“It will definitely be a big help to us because the water shortage is definitely a problem,” said DaCosta. “I applaud SVREL for the work that they have been doing because this well is well-needed, and it will definitely help the horses and the grooms as well.”

robert.bailey@gleanerjm.com