Fabian “Tally Man” White, president of the Grooms’ Association of Jamaica, says that without a doubt, the racing fraternity welcomes the recent introduction of the lucrative Mouttet Mile (invitational) as all stakeholders are excited about the US$125,000 purse event, the largest for a single race offered at Caymanas Park.

Along with the historic Mouttet Mile which is set for December 3, 2022, another new event, the Peter Stewart Memorial Plate, worth US$25,000, will also be staged over nine furlongs and 25 yards for qualified horses at the Overnight Allowance level.

The Mouttet Mile takes its name from the main sponsor Paul Mouttet, chairman of the Trinidad and Tobago-based Zodiac Caribbean Ventures Limited, currently, the largest shareholder of Supreme Ventures Limited (SVL). SVL’s sister company Supreme Ventures Racing and Entertainment Limited is the sole promoter of local horse racing. The Peter Stewart Memorial Plate is named in honour of SVL’s founding Chairman Peter Stewart.

“I think it was a great move to introduce a race such as the Mouttet Mile as I think that this event is going to be beneficial to the racing industry. The Mouttet Mile will carry a mouth-watering purse which is a joy from a groom’s perspective as we will earn a lot more cash.

“What can I say, this event is the best thing since the Diamond Mile. There’s already excitement building up and this is good for the racing industry. This is a good thing and I believe that all stakeholders welcome this initiative with open arms.

“The Diamond Mile was an outstanding event, the support by fans each year was huge. The Diamond Mile was on course to get the sport back on track as everyone was excited about the event but from what I am hearing, I think that the Mouttet Mile is going to be bigger and better and as I said, all stakeholders will be happy for this,” White said.

White believes that this Mouttet Mile is the perfect addition that should generate revenge for Caymanas Park.

The maximum number of 16 starting stalls will be made available for the Mouttet Mile, with four allotted to overseas-based horses.

Local horses will be invited by the promoting company to run in the Mouttet Mile, with stakes earned and past performances used as the guide. The Overnight Allowance Peter Stewart Plate Memorial will have a maximum of 12 starters.