Caymanas heading to greener (grass) pastures in 2022
LENNOX ALDRED STAR Writer
Chairman of the Supreme Ventures Racing and Entertainment Limited, Solomon Sharpe, says a grass track at Caymanas Park is not far from reality after the entity is set to ramp up the initiative in the coming months.
Speaking at a press conference on Wednesday to announce details of this year’s Triple Crown Series, Sharpe says work has already begun to make the grass track a reality at the park by as early as the first quarter of 2022.
The drawing for the grass track has been done some 20-30 years ago, and already with the removal of the tote board to accommodate the track, things are being fast-tracked to get the park up to international standards to raise the profile racing.
“If it was up to myself and General Manager Lorna Gooden, the grass track would have been implemented in the last quarter of 2021. Realistically, I don’t think it will happen in 2021 and it may very well happen for 2022, “said Sharpe.
The new grass track is expected to cost some US$1 million, and Sharpe is cognizant of the fact that the venture, while expensive, is a necessary one.
“We have to look at when the spends are right, but we will continue to prepare the entire park for all of the infrastructural developments.”
The Mantra of a new modern future for the sport is heavily on the agenda of Sharpe and the SVRL team, and the hope is to improve the racing product by having better horses racing at the park in a friendlier environment.
“When you look at the bloodline we are getting in Jamaica, they are coming out of North America and certainly the horses are running well on the grass in North America, “added Sharpe.
The new grass track is just one of several operational changes and upgrades that would be implemented at Caymanas Park starting this year, with the deconstruction of the tote board and the installation of a new state-of-theart display.