Purse increase for Ash Wednesday racing
Published:Thursday | February 20, 2020 | 12:31 AMRobert Bailey/Gleaner Writer
Supreme Ventures Racing and Entertainment chairman Solomon Sharpe announced a purse increase of almost $1.5 million for their Ash Wednesday race day, set for February 26 at Caymanas Park.
Sharpe said at the press launch yesterday that there will be quarterly incentives for owners, trainers, jockeys, and grooms.
“We are definitely expecting a big turnout,” he said. “Our patrons are very smart and they love the kind of races that we have on offer with additional incentives on the day.
With us continuing with the exacta promotion, there is nowhere else to be than Caymanas Park on Ash Wednesday.”
The first quarter of incentives is the Opening Quarter, which will run from January to March and includes 19 race days. The second quarter is the Classic Meet, and its 21 days and will run from April to June. The Summer Quarter will run from July to September and has 21 race days, while the Championships Quarter, which has 19 race days is scheduled from October to December.
Win incentive
The owners with the most wins in each quarter will receive $400,000, and the trainer with most wins with a barn size of over 30 horses will get $300,000. The jockey with the most wins in a quarter will take home $150,000, while the groom with the most victories in the quarter will take home $100,000.
United Racehorse Trainers Association of Jamaica president Ryan Darby said they are very happy for the new incentives but he is calling on the Government to put more resources into the racing industry.
“They have been very creative with some new plans that they are coming with and we are supporting them with this,” Darby said. “However, we would like to talk about the main purse, which is the yearly purse increase on a separate basis, because this is very important to trainers and owners.
“We would like the Government to see what incentives it can put into racing, not for Supreme Ventures, but racing. Racing has been supporting employment for the 14 parishes in Jamaica and it supplies entertainment for the entire Jamaica.”