Arima Race Club to establish long-term plan to ease $$ woes

THE ARIMA Race Club (ARC) is aiming to establish a long-term plan to ease their financial woes, in light of the current strike by local jockeys, who are claiming that they are owed monies since 2019.

There was a meeting of horse-racing stakeholders on Tuesday.

ARC president Robert Bernard remarked, “There was no resolution within the meeting but I think it went well though. These stakeholders understand the position within the Club and the industry at this time.

“It went well, with all things considered. The dialogue is continuing, which is important.”

Bernard touched briefly on the issue with the jockeys, who refused to ride on Saturday, at the Santa Rosa Park, Arima, during the ARC Race Day Five.

“They were part of the conversation, but I believe they were given poor advice,” was Bernard’s take on the jockeys’ impasse with the ARC.

“They get commissions on stakes. (Nobody) has been paid commissions on any monies earned in 2019.”

Bernard noted, “We have to identify the situation. It’s not going to happen overnight. It’s going to be a long-term plan. But I think if everybody knows the plan and are willing to work with it, we can get ourselves out of the morass that we’re in right now.”

Horse racing falls under the Ministry of Trade and Industry, but Minister Paula Gopee-Scoon acknowledged on Tuesday, “That’s a matter for the Arima Race Club so I should not be really intervening with that. The Arima Race Club is a private company.”