JRC, SVREL to review Heroes Day cancellation
Published:Thursday | October 24, 2024 | 12:11 AMOrane Buchanan/Staff Reporter
CHAIRMAN OF the Jamaica Racing Commission (JRC), Clovis Metcalfe, explained that he was left bitterly disappointed by the fact that only two scheduled races were run at Caymanas Park on Monday due to rioting by spectators.
Metcalfe added that there would be a meeting this morning at 10:00 a.m. to collectively review the incident in a bid to rectify the matter.
“I’m very disappointed as you don’t want this for the industry at all. Whether right or wrong, you don’t want any abandonment, riot, or indiscipline, and this is something to be unhappy with. That’s why we’re going to get to the root cause to decide the way forward,” he said.
The incident reportedly stemmed from Samantha Fletcher’s disqualification aboard TEKAPUNT in the second race after she was judged to have caused interference with MY SUNSHINE, who had Omar Walker in the saddle.
That disqualification to Fletcher eventually promoted SALUD to the victory with the Jockeys’ title-chasing Raddesh ‘Sneaky Fox’ Roman aboard. Metcalfe shared that the stewards, at the time, acted in the best possible way based on the evidence presented to them.
“The panel of stewards after review saw where there was interference and intimidation, and as such, the winner of the race was disqualified. This resulted is an extended impasse between the punters, SVREL, and the stewards due to the throwing of garbage and objects towards the stewards’ room, stands, jockeys, and other racing personnel. Due to the increased uproar and Lasix timelines with the delay, the racing promoter recommended that the remaining races on the cards be abandoned,” he explained.
However, disgruntled punters said the decision, which put Roman and Tevin Foster tied on the Jockeys’ standing, ignored the fact that the interference Fletcher was charged with came from instances of interference from Walker and thus the positions should have stood. TEKAPUNT was relegated to third in the race.
Monday’s incident marks the second time in six months that races were cancelled at Caymanas Park.
On the first occasion, races were cancelled by the JRC stewards for breaches of the racing rules, which was said to have cost SVREL around $25 million. Monday’s incident, with more races shelved, is reported to be closer to the $100 million mark, and according to Metcalf, he understands the “economic impact” it may have caused.
“We sincerely regret the inconvenience and frustration that the abandonment of the remaining races may have caused, and we empathise with all the stakeholders, especially the promoters, owners, trainers, jockeys, and grooms for the negative economic impact. We must, at all times, remember that there is a process, and the commission encourages appeals for any matter that occurs from a race-day decision.”