Caymanas Track Limited to lose millions from cancelled race day
KINGSTON, Jamaica — With the cancellation of today’s 10-race programme at Caymanas Park due to industrial action by Caymanas Track Limited (CTL) workers, CTL stands to lose millions of dollars, according to Racing Secretary Denzil Miller.
The meet, with total purse money on the races amounting to $6.091 million, was cancelled after CTL and Union of Technical Administrative and Supervisory Personnel (UTASP) failed to reach an agreement about elements of a reclassification exercise that should’ve been implemented.
Miller told the OBSERVER ONLINE earlier that the workers went on strike because of they are disgruntled about wages for the period of 2015 to 2016.
Read: Disgruntled CTL workers force cancellation of Saturday’s race meet
“CTL will lose million of dollars on sales for today’s race meet,” Miller told OBSERVER ONLINE. “Based on average, for local sales in handling from January 1 to present is over $37 million.
“That could also be for today’s race meet. That doesn’t include sales for simulcast racing. Simulcast races could have added another $6 to 8 million, plus the cost of staff for the day add up to a roughly $2 million,” Miller explained.
Ninety-seven horses had been declared for Saturday’s race meet.
Ruddy Allen