Ruining a good thing
Dear Editor,
For months Supreme Ventures Racing and Entertainment Limited (SVREL), in promoting the ultra-rich Mouttet Mile horse race, told us the US$125,000 ($18,000,000) event to be run at Caymans Park on Saturday, December 3 was not just the richest race to be run in Jamaica but also in the English-speaking Caribbean.
Indeed, this race was poised to change the face of racing locally. Stakeholders and the racing public totally bought into the concept.
The day promised to be a gala event. Ladies would be exquisitely dressed, while the men would be dapperly attired.
Sumptuous food would be in abundance and high-end liquor would flow.
All seemed in place for this history-making event, which would make local horse racing live up to its moniker, The Sport of Kings.
Then, without anyone’s help, the promoters shot themselves in the foot.
Set for a 5:00 pm post time, the race was not sent off till 5:43 pm in what ace commentator Brian Rickman called poor visibility.
Running a race at almost a quarter to six in December without lights is asinine at best.
Sadly, this is not unique to the Mouttet Mile as this has become the norm on race days with races running 10 to 15 minutes late.
Talk about ruining a good thing.
Damac@yahoo.com