Present-day Caymanas Park is old

THE EDITOR, Sir:

I AM totally in agreement with Gordon Robinson’s response and critique of Jimmie’s take on the demise of horse racing in Jamaica. It has nothing to do with the claiming system: the business model stinks.

I will go further to say this: the demise of the industry is due mainly to dynamic competition. In 1985, for example, the only legal form of gambling in Jamaica was horse racing. So, any model was sustainable based on the ridiculously loyal and broad fan base of Caymanas Park. But now, there is a plethora of games; a crazy amount of sports betting opportunities; international horse racing betting using the (lower take out model) track odds; and casinos all at our fingertips in Jamaica. If we don’t like those, there are seemingly millions of reliable and easily accessible international online betting sites available.

The point is, present-day Caymanas Park is an anachronism. The promoters have failed to keep the ‘big man’ from leaving racing. That is what has happened. The big gamblers, the big owners – they are gone. I can think of at least a dozen friends who once were diehard local racing enthusiasts who would never miss a race day. They are $100,000 to $500,000 daily bettors and mid-level owners. All of them have long lost interest in the local product. Caymanas Park lost me last year – and that is a big loss. Even though I am a math guy, the high take doesn’t really bother me. Neither does the dilapidated facility. It is the poor product – it is horrific. And the lack of strategic managerial talent at SVREL irks me. All of my interest lies in sports betting and American racing. And just like my friends said, I was sad to go. But I had to.

NARESH NAGRANI