SUPREME RACING GUIDE (SRG): How did you get into horse racing?

Powell: My father was an owner and part-owner in the year of 1982. I was 12 years old at the time, and from then on, I grew to love horses and from that time on, my fervent interest began to blossom.

SRG: When did you become a trainer?

Powell: I graduated in the batch of September 2011 with Steven Todd as a licensed trainer. However, before becoming a trainer, I was the winner of 32 races as an owner.

SRG: Which horse was your first winner after becoming a trainer?

Powell: My first winner was Audrey’s Blessing which was in July of the year 2015.

SRG: Best horse that you have trained?

Powell: I will say Campesino. I have also trained Sure Step; quite a fast horse and went on to win two races with him.

SRG: What are the longest odds you’ve won at?

Powell: It was at 3/1 with Sure Step.

SRG: Which is the biggest race have you won to date?

Powell: I have no horses in the higher-class races but in the lower class, such as in the $250,000 claiming slot.

SRG: Best horse you have seen run at Caymanas Park?

Powell: That will be She’s A Maneater. She was an incredible performer.

SRG: Which trainers’ approach to conditioning their horses do you admire most?

Powell: I will say, Wayne DaCosta. I admired very much how he conditioned his runners.

SRG: Which of the riders’ approach to riding are you most impressed with?

Powell: The choice will go to Dane Nelson. The reason being he knows how to ride horses and how to get the best out of them when properly prepared for the occasion.

SRG: Are there any regrets or concerns about the racing quality as a whole?

Powell: There are no regrets in the sport of racing itself, for this is a sport that I dearly love. Nonetheless, there is a grave concern relating to the present approach to conditioning the track’s racing surface. It needs to be improved with greater care, naturally, for the protection of the athletes. The surface at present needs reconditioning. It should be done properly — not patchwork. For horses to be effective at what they do and without injury from running, the surface of the track has to be in prime racing condition, and has to be done with great care to induce safety and longevity. It has to be sanded with the utmost care and properly watered in an attempt to help protect the legs of horses who gallop at tremendous speeds. As without the stable functioning legs, there will be no horses to maintain or even continue the durable longevity of horse racing — the Sport of Kings in the land at Caymanas Park.

When horse racing was introduced, back in the days, the surfaces of tracks were more receptive to protecting the legs and joints of horses than now, as they could have raced twice in a single day without injury. The tracks then were prepared with greater care in an effort to protect and safeguard the legs of the racing athletes. It is a step taken in today’s racing life that will be most welcomed — to see an improvement of the track condition with a surface laid to enhance the protection of our horse athletes. A good horse is far too expensive to be lost from oversight and negligence in failing to prepare an agreeable surface that will protect the legs of racing’s backbone athletes for the continuance of the manly sport of horse racing at Caymanas Park.