Going forward, certain amendments will become necessary to ensure fairness and for sustainable viability the promotion of horse racing is done in the interest of the majority. This is the position of the British Horseracing Authority — and the preferred modus operandi — in contrast to what occurs this side of the Atlantic.

Over here, the industry faces an existential threat, presenting the racing product in complicated, inaccurate classifications of the horse populations of these Pan-American jurisdictions. Despite the annual decline in the breeding industry and sales turnover, notably in the United States, where the regulatory Jockey Club has implemented a system of classification/handicapping to improve field sizes, the cult-like affinity to the flawed racing product still exists here.

Last week I looked at some of the edicts in the 1977 Jamaica Racing Commission (JRC) Racing Rules and, as promised, the analysis and interpretation exercise continues here. The rationale for this undertaking is that, in the course of time, circumstances change and render certain aspects no longer relevant. Therefore, the JRC and the promoting company must engage the requisite expertise to effect amendments and changes when and where necessary.