Mass import of overseas horses to improve local racing stock

IN AN effort to improve the local racing product in Jamaica, Supreme Ventures Racing and Entertainment Limited (SVREL) is scheduled to import more than 20 horses from the United States next month to compete against the local thoroughbreds.

Executive Chairman of SVREL Salomon Sharpe told The Gleaner that these horses will be bought at an auction in Florida this week, and they will be brought into the country by his company next month.

“It is an auction, and so we don’t know what is available, and we don’t know what the price points are going to be. But we are certainly going up there on a mission to bring down about 20 horses to improve the blood stock that is in Jamaica,” said Sharpe.

“We have had all clearance from the vet board that it is okay to bring in these animals, and we think that time is right now. And we hope that these horses will come in, train well and impact our racing season at the end of this year, and definitely have a big impact at the early part of next year,” he said.

“It is all about getting back some good-quality races and getting back some American bloodline back into Jamaica, and that is what we will be doing,” Sharpe said.

He pointed out that the move is part of the SVREL’s strategic efforts to improve local racing and to bring it up to international standards. Sharpe also explained that the horses that will be brought in from the United States already have buyers in Jamaica, but there are plans afoot for the importation of a lot more horses later this year.

“So far we have a syndicate that is lined up. We have also gotten interest from an all-female syndicate as well, and there are about 50 new owners in the pipeline,” he said.

“Racing is on a high globally right now and it is definitely high in Jamaica, and so there is a lot of interest and a lot of persons who want to get involved with the sport,” he said.

“I think that this first crop is already spoken for. But it is a continuous process because this is just the start, and so there will be more horses coming down throughout this year,” Sharpe said.

Patrick Smellie, the president of United Racehorse Trainers Association of Jamaica, said the SVREL move is a good one because it will help to improve the racing product in Jamaica.

“It is going to be good for the industry, because we need a lot more horses here in Jamaica,” said Smellie.

“However, we don’t know how they are going to be distributed, because we have not been consulted on anything of that sort. But it should make the races a lot of more exciting if the horses are distributed equally among the trainers by the owners,” he said.