Back to the drawing board
New Racehorse trainers administration, SVREL headed back to the bargaining table
Published:Sunday | February 27, 2022 | 12:11 AMRobert Bailey - Gleaner Writer
PRESIDENT OF the United Racehorse Trainers Association of Jamaica (URTAJ), Patrick Smellie, said his organisation will be engaging the Supreme Ventures Racing and Entertainment Limited (SVREL) to discuss the still pending matter of a purse increase.
The previous administration led by then president Ryan Darby accepted a “one-time incentive” on purses, valued at $18 million, from SVREL last month with an expiry date of June 30, 2022.
SVREL’s one-time incentive also entails a $50,000 addition to the purse of each race with the exception of futurities for three-year-olds such as the Triple Crown series, 1000 and 2000 Guineas, Jamaica St Leger and Jamaica Derby, as well as races designated ‘Road to the Triple Crown’ events.
However, Smellie, who took over the presidency before the negotiations had completed, told The Gleaner his administration would be going back to the bargaining table with SVREL to discuss the state of the current purse increase and other matters affecting the racing industry.
PURSE INCREASE DISCUSSIONS
“We will have to go back to the table with them for discussions regarding additional purse increase. We are in the process of arranging a team with some of the former negotiators on it and we will be changing some who will be negotiating with them,” said Smellie.
“In terms of a timeline, I will say by early next month. In terms of working for the trainers, there are a lot of ideas that our dynamic team has and all of us are willing to work with Supreme Ventures Racing and Entertainment Limited to try and smooth things out,” he said.
Smellie pointed out that the cost of caring for horses had gone up significantly over the last three years but they were still willing to work with SVREL to secure the best outcome for the industry.
“We will always say we deserved more but we have to look at the time and we have to look at what is happening worldwide and we have to look at what the promoters are saying,” he said.
“We have to definitely have a look at what is happening with the promoters but I think that we can sit with them and come up with something amicable,” Smellie said.
Soloman Sharpe, executive chairman of SVREL, said his organisation was willing to meet with the new URTAJ executive whenever they were available.
“We are very much ready to meet with the horsemen even right now and we are looking forward to a meeting so we can all discuss in an amicable way where we can move horse racing forward in Jamaica,” said Sharpe.
“We are definitely ready to look at things and meet with them because we are always willing to work and develop horse racing in Jamaica and that is our goal,” he said.
There have been a lot of contentious discussions between SVREL and horsemen in the past but Sharpe said he was expecting things to remain respectful whenever both sides meet.
“We are not expecting any hostile meeting with them because we are looking out for the best interest of horse racing in Jamaica,” he said.