Having procured a copy of the Estimates of Revenue and Expenditure for the Year Ending March 2027 - which includes ‘Audited 2024/25’, ‘Original 2025/26’, ‘Estimated 2025/26’ and ‘Projected 2026/27’ - the Jamaica Racing Commission’s (JRC) income and expenditure, especially ‘Projected 2026/27’, poses many questions, of which horsemen should concern themselves.

Why should horsemen be concerned? Bear in mind that all figures to be discussed are only possible through the industry-equity — whether it be goods (owners’ horses) or services (provided by the various professional bodies) — the basis of all income pouring into the coffers of the JRC, also forming a lesser portion of the Betting Gaming and Lotteries Commission’s revenue stream.

The ‘suffering’ horsemen, as Thoroughbred Owners and Breeders Association of Jamaica (TOBA) president, Andrew Azar, is wont to describe breeders, owners, trainers, jockeys, grooms, farriers, exercise riders, and stable hands, deserve to know that the JRC, which ended 2024-25 with an audited net surplus of $54.86 million of horsemen’s money, is estimating a deficit of $6.98 million for 2025-26, projected to be $106.5 milion in a year’s time, almost an additional $100 million added to its ‘operating expenses’.