It’s been bittersweet watching 54-year-old Gary Richards teach our pathetic jockey colony how race riding is done. When Gary started riding in 1979, Jamaica was blessed with a set of jockeys who could excel worldwide.  Gary stood out among them to the extent that iconic jockey Neville Anderson publicly...

Cawn’t sey mi neva dida warn yu! Punters got useful pointers for Jamaica’s first two classics from my very early look (published April 6).  After 1,000 Guineas winner Disability Charm’s winning debut (1000m round; January 20), I noted: “Disability Charm was visually impressive….lengthening stride and readily drawing clear final...

  By the time we meet again, 2018’s first classics will have been run on April 14 (1,000 Guineas) and 15 (2,000 Guineas) so readers must settle for an early look at the contenders. This only emphasizes how backward racing promoters have been regarding betting in Jamaica. Ante-post betting...

Belated happy first birthday to the new Public Opinion which celebrated its first birthday last week! Its focus on independent opinion and critical thought fills a void in local media. Regarding contributions from yours truly, comments received have been concentrated on the “Clocked-in” department. Many are curious as to...

Horse racing lost another leading light as Robert Darby Snr, known to all as “The Claiming King”, passed away on Monday, February 26. Turfites know Robert’s magnificent accomplishments of the 1990s and that he was still active and producing outstandingly conditioned winners up to shortly before his passing. But...

    By the Terrible Tout   Time’s up! Jamaica decimalized its currency in the 1960s; commenced the process of metrification in 1977; and is alleged to have completed it shortly after the turn of the new millennium. Our motor vehicle speedometers are indexed in kilometres per hour; our...

It’s the time of year when gender and age trends are flipped. Punters should pay attention. Turfites should understand that 3 year olds are just like teenagers, so they are not yet fully developed. Especially when it’s remembered that all thoroughbreds, for administrative reasons, have January 1 as their...

As far back as May 12, 2017, in Public Opinion, I wrote about the Claiming system: “The object of a claiming system is to ensure horses of like ability compete against each other….not to have horses claimed. Remember the claiming tag should be a deterrent only. In fact, the...

  Happy New Year to all readers of Public Opinion.  Its entrance into the Jamaican media landscape was THE breath of fresh air for 2017. It’s time for reflection and goal-setting for the next 12 months, so I hope new promoter SVREL is sitting down with Government and working...