PHILIP Feanny, the illustrious many-times champion trainer and more recently champion breeder, is more than peeved by the scant attention that is being paid to the rapid decline of the local racing industry by the Jamaica Racing Commission (JRC) and Caymanas Track Limited (CTL), promoters of racing.

Feanny is particularly perturbed about the allocation made to purse money especially for the big races, saying that cutting the purses of these races serves as a major disincentive to horsemen.

“Let’s look at the recently run Jamaica Derby. It is obvious they (CTL) cannot seem to comprehend that when you cut the purses of the major races they are turning people off, not on.

“The problem is you have people who are in charge of racing today barring one or two members on the CTL board, who know absolutely nothing about running a racing industry. “They may be businessmen, they may be lawyers, they may be whatever they are, but they know nothing about horse racing. “That is the story of horse racing in Jamaica today. Horse racing is controlled by government, and both JLP and PNP are playing games with it. The PNP has said that it is up for divestment, the JLP has said that it is up for divestment yet all the bids that have gone in have all been turned down,” Feanny lamented.

“Yet” he continued, “they in turn have done nothing to promote the industry. It has limped along not on two legs but on one. Trouble is if it were not for the people in racing — the grassroots people this industry would have died long ago,” the 14-time champion trainer said. He said any cursory analysis shows that the purses for especially the Classic and some of the other major races have been reduced.

Feanny proclaimed that the answer lies in not cutting purses but ramping up promotional activities, as racing is still popular and can still attract many persons to come to the track and the other stations to participate.

“For me it is a definite problem reducing the purses we are accustomed to for the big races, but what makes it worse is the compliance of the JRC. The purses for the big races continue to decrease with respect to former years and it is done without dialogue. And obviously, the JRC must have approved it because one cannot cut purses without the Commission’s approval, as far as I know. So you have two boards. Both the CTL and the JRC and they are going merrily along destroying an industry,” Feanny opined.

The champion breeder says all one has to do is look at the progress Caribbean neighbours, Trinidad and Tobago are making compared with Jamaica. They are rapidly developing a profitable product while Jamaica looks hell-bent on destroying their product. Feanny observed: “If you look at Trinidad they have increased the purses for their big races. Bruceontheloose left Jamaica for Trinidad and won everything and earned US$650,000. St Cecelia stayed in Jamaica and won everything except the Superstakes and earned JA$20 million. That is US$650,000 compared with US$180,000.The Trinidadians have placed their money into their major races and that is why Trinidad racing has taken off. The Trinidadians are going all over the place, buying horses to promote their industry and to make their industry a better one and it has worked. We in Jamaica have gone the opposite way. What is it with Jamaica, are they trying to re-invent the wheel? We do not follow what works. We are trying to do the opposite of what works,” Feanny said.