Claims Against The Claiming System
An advertorial in the Track and Pools and a report in the Jamaica Observer (September 28, 29 and October 1) confirms Howard Hamilton is at it again. He has been whining …
The Problem With American Democracy – A Few Perspectives
In the aftermath of the United States presidential elections of 2024, despite the person who won the contest, and despite the political party that has regained the ascendancy in the governance …
Issue # 195
Indiscipline Will Never Cure Indiscipline
This past week or so, Caymanas Park has closely resembled the Upside Down in an episode of Stranger Things. For more than 30 years, horseracing promoters have been manipulating starting times …
Betting Is Not The Same As Gambling
As gambling options seem never-ending, maybe it’s time for a seminar on the differences between gambling and betting. There’s a reason that Government’s statutory body regulating these activities is named The …
Horses To Follow 2024
Unfortunately, serious horse racing fans were as frustrated at the close of 2023 as they were at its start. In Public Opinion’s first issue of 2023, I wrote: “…production of racing …
Opposition To Everything
So, finally, after decades of lobbying, a Government has recognized the counter-productive nature of GCT imposed on the importation of race horses. So, naturally, the Opposition began intense politicking because everyone …
Computers Are Taking Over
I remember when the word “computer” conjured up as many magical images as Narnia or Middle Earth subsequently. In the early days, my pardy and I saw an advertisement of a …
Positive Developments
Two recent developments in horseracing and betting have the potential to produce positive results. The first is the introduction, at the racetrack, of what’s being marketed as ‘fixed odds betting”. It’s …
He Don’t Like Favourites
So my alter ego found himself in the Bernard Lodge area recently visiting the location of a longstanding legal dispute. There I met a Stud Farm Manager named Clifton McLeish who …
Pay Attention To The Track
The racing surface at Caymanas Park is in urgent need of attention. I don’t have to be at exercise gallops or touring stables every day (as was my routine years ago) …
Government Neglect Driving Low Breeding Output
So, Thoroughbred Owners & Breeders Association of Jamaica (TOBA) President Howard Hamilton has been quoted by the Observer as saying the breeding industry is in a state of panic. Ya don’t …