2012 was a good year for horse racing, but legislation needed urgently

By Rajiv Bisnauth

The lack of adequate legislation and the absence of good management practices are responsible for the sport of horse racing not being a bigger success story in Guyana, however, there is no doubt that horse racing has become one of the major sport industries in Guyana.
The 2012 racing season can be classified as one of the busiest and most successful for years with meets occurring almost twice a month.
Also, at times it seemed as though horses, trainers, owners and punters had no time to recuperate.
Then there was the encouraging support of the business community led by Banks DIH and Digicel.
Although the administration was put in the hands of an Interim Management Committee (IMC) by midyear the sport must be commended for ensuring that the strong resurgence that was made a couple of years ago was maintained.
However, there are some major areas that require attention and should be addressed before the start of the new season in order to raise the standard of the sport.
One such area is the legislation that governs the sport. Dubbed the ‘Sport of Kings’, horse racing, since its resuscitation some five years ago, has been operating under a legal document that was registered under the miscellaneous Deeds Act.

Another issue of contention is the manner in which jockeys go to work. There should be a set of rules, if there isn’t already, to govern the way jockeys dress whilst going to ride. Just like every other sport, a code of dress is a standard requirement so the authorities must enforce the rules for jockeys and public safety.
There has also been talk of owners and handlers using performance enhancing substances on their horses, but with the sport still unregulated due to the lack of legislation, this particular practice could be difficult to detect and confirm.
Perhaps, the biggest problem of all is the continued violation on the track by punters and spectators.
This dilemma is a real one that many of the track authorities are either afraid to address or have no answers for. However, until someone gets injured then and only then solutions will be found.
Though local owners are now more readily prepared and equipped to import horses from Trinidad and Tobago and beyond, the quality of the horses and the breeding stock should be of a higher pedigree to really lift the standard of racing in Guyana.
Meanwhile, the attempt by a few executives to improve their facilities to make all associated with the day’s activities comfortable is praiseworthy, but a lot more still needs to be done.
Finally, all tracks should also have a special area for media access and this particular issue had been raised before, but very little action was taken.
All in all the sport is growing in popularity and this year should see another packed calendar of events.