Caymanas shutdown - SVREL: Operations closed until further notice

Today’s 10-race card at Caymanas Park is off.

Last night, local racing promoters Supreme Ventures Racing & Entertainment Limited (SVREL) said in a release that operations at Caymanas Park will be closed ‘until further notice’ effective Saturday, March 21, 2020 at midnight.

The company said it had been in dialogue with its regulator, the Betting Gaming and Lotteries Commission (BGLC) since late Tuesday, March 17, when the agency released a notice to the public that “all gaming lounges, betting shops & bars with gambling machines must close” effectively shutting down the Off Track Betting (OTB) network.

In its release, SVREL said in co-operation with the BGLC and the relevant authorities, they immediately shut down operations as per Disaster Risk Management Declaration of Disaster Order 2020. It said the company was then given the go ahead to reopen operations and the OTB network on Thursday, March 19, after the BGLC chairman announced a retraction of the notice on Wednesday, March 18.

SOCIAL DISTANCING

In that latter notice, the BGLC said: “OTBs are permitted to remain open in support of scheduled racing meets. The OTBs are required to observe all social distancing guidelines and ensure that no more than 20 persons are accommodated in the venues at any time.”

SVREL said its operations were again “unfortunately affected during spectator less racing on Saturday, March 21. Police shut down several OTB operations across the country, including Charles’s OTB in Mandeville which was padlocked, effectively shutting out both the owners and customers.”

SVREL general manager Lorna Gooden said they had tried to cooperate, but the situation had become ‘untenable’.

“While we have tried to cooperate fully with the orders as we understand them, the situation has become untenable. Based on the feedback coming from our retailers, the security forces seem to be unclear regarding the position of the regulator. We cannot put our OTB network at risk for fines, imprisonment, shutdowns and unnecessary spend,” Gooden said in the release.

The promoters said the track will continue to house and exercise horses, while ensuring that those personnel adhere to the social distancing and other required public health protocols.

While it is unclear why the police shut down OTB operations yesterday, The Gleaner reported, last Wednesday, that at least one SVREL OTB in Portmore was observed being openly in breach of the Government stipulation that gatherings at this time should not exceed 20 persons at a time. The limit on gatherings was announced by the Government as it battles to curb the spread of the deadly coronavirus.

Last Friday, three more patients were confirmed with the virus bringing the total on the island to 19.

Today’s aborted ten-race card included the Thornbird and Prince Consort Stakes, the trial races for next month’s 1000 and 2000 Guineas. With the indefinite shut down, it is unclear when these classic races will be run. The 1000 Guineas was set for Sunday, April 12, and the 2000 Guineas on Easter Monday, April 13.

While racing continues at some tracks in the United States, horse racing in Britain has been suspended from March 18 to the end of April.