Just when the local racing industry thought the worst of the infighting was behind it with the twice-postponed AGM of the Arima Race Club scheduled to be held on June 23, 2019, it was announced on the 22nd that the AGM would again be rescheduled following yet another successful injunction. Details would eventually filter through that this injunction was brought by the two individuals whom themselves had previously had injunctions brought against them to prevent the holding of the AGM.
It would appear that the court-ordered mediation did not take place between the parties as expected but rather only between certain groups to the previous action. As a result, racing remains in limbo at a time when it could hardly afford to.
General JN medical condition
On the track itself, the Labour Day racing has been hailed by many as a success but there was an interesting revelation which speaks volumes to the transparency in the industry and perhaps explains why in a country such as T&T, which is steeped in a tradition of gambling, the local racing industry continues to struggle to retain its loyal following.
Following the impressive and exciting victory of General JN over the top class horses in the President’s Cup, his connections revealed that the colt had been diagnosed with a chip in one of its knees prior to the Trinidad Derby in September 2018.
The colt would still race in the Derby but ended up second as the 1/5 favourite behind Cape Canaveral. While it is the prerogative of a horse’s connections to race their animal as they see fit, one wonders how many turfites - who wagered on the General at 1/5 - were aware of the medical diagnosis.
The uneven sharing of this information raises a number of issues regarding transparency and integrity and while it would be too much to hope that the T&T Racing Authority will make any subsequent enquiry of connections, the casual manner in which the information was disclosed suggests that none of those connected with the animal perceives any wrongdoing in their actions.
The controversy over the injury to the General JN should not take away from his outstanding performance on Labour Day but the fact that three West Indian-bred horses (General JN, Master of War and Caesar Country) filled three of the first four positions is indicative of the depth of reinvestment by the sport’s owners in newly-imported racing stock. The reduction in prize money is taking its toll on the competitiveness and quality of the sport. Thisonesforron, who was third in the Cup, is now eight years old and another veteran, Whisper Light, is just two years younger. Princess Suri, who is four, unfortunately, had to be withdrawn while the Gold Cup winner, Nuclear Power, who is also four, disappointed for reasons as yet unknown to anyone other than her connections. Something is certain to come to light because this filly ran too badly to be true.
Boodramsingh was 4th pick
Another development of some interest off the track was the decision by jockey Brian Boodramsingh to ride the horses of trainer Harold Chadee on Indian Arrival Day, including the Guineas winner Regal Intention. In an interview following the race, trainer Chadee revealed that Boodramsingh was his fourth choice after his plans to bring in Wilmer Galviz were scuppered by an injury to Badrie and approaches to Carlos Rojas and Ricky Jadoo were rejected, with both indicating that they were committed to riding for others. The latter notwithstanding an offer to the riders equivalent to what bringing in another rider would cost. Besides indicating that the current leader in the jockeys' standing was his third choice among the locally-based riders, the trainer also unwittingly impugned the nature of the relationship between Boodramsingh and his main supporter John O’Brien.