Thoroughbred Owners and Breeders Association (TOBA) President Howard Hamilton says the breeding industry is in a state of panic. He says the promoters of horse racing in Jamaica, Supreme Ventures Racing and Entertainment Limited (SVREL), could provide the environment for the breeding industry to grow and remove itself from its present stagnation.

Hamilton says two of the major factors that have hampered the breeding industry are the implementation of the claiming system and the foal population, which has decreased significantly over the years.

“It [the claiming system] has destroyed the breeding industry because why should I come to the sale and buy a horse for $1 million when I can go claim a horse for $300,000 and $400,000? When you buy a horse at the sale, you don’t know if the horse can run or not, and at least when you claim a horse, you know that the horse can run whether it is lame or not, and that is the problem we have had,” Hamilton told the Jamaica Observer.

“It should be obvious to everybody that the [claiming system] cannot work. It simply cannot work.

“They [SVREL] should introduce a proper rating system and a proper handicapping system for promoting their racing and forget this claiming system.”

In 2020, in light of COVID-19, only 66 yearlings were registered for the sale. The last two years have been mixed sales, with 85 yearlings registered in 2021 and 87 registered this year, compared to 114 registered in 2018 and 148 registered in 2019.

“The breeding industry is in a state of disarray right now because we don’t have enough foals being produced, and we have to get some understanding with the promoting company about assisting the breeding industry to make sure that they have horses to be bred for the promotion of their races,” Hamilton told the Observer.

Hamilton, who is part owner of HAM Stables, the reigning champion breeders, said assistance from SVREL to attract owners to buy horses and to restructure the claiming system, which has affected the breeding industry, could help foster the growth of the breeding industry.

“Those are topics we will continue to discuss with the promoting company,” Hamilton said. “Try and attract more breeders in the industry, and try to attract more owners that can buy the horses and who are not distracted by the claiming system.

“You know, there are very few owners that are coming into the business now, and we need to bring that back and attract them again. The promoting company has to appreciate the problems at least to the respect of their own production because if they don’t have horses, they can’t produce racing.”