punters

So, local horse racing has finally been sent on furlough. This after weeks of stubborn resistance during which countless Jamaicans of modest means and most vulnerable to the current pestilence were herded into cramped, unsanitary Off Track Betting parlours (OTBs) to fiscally maintain horseracing by gambling away their meagre...

Last week’s local horse racing news was dominated by a mystery virus sweeping the stables that severely depleted Ash Wednesday entries.  Racing scheduled for Saturday, February 29, was postponed for lack of entries. Nobody seems to know the origin or nature of the virus but horses affected first started...

Last week, in-between family duties, I watched as much of the five-day Glorious Goodwood festival from Sussex, England, as possible. On Thursday, a peculiar thing happened. Although the first race went off on time (routine for a country seasoned in live horse racing coverage and the importance of holding...

  In order to rise above the ordinary, punters must understand that racehorses are people too. It’s just that they can’t talk. But they eat, sleep, think and need, just like us! They have off-days and on-days. Most importantly, intelligent punters understand that horses’ performances can’t be predicted by...

   A horse racing industry is a three-faceted construction made of investors, contributors and regulators. Investors (breeders, owners, punters and promoters) are the foundations. Contributors (trainers, jockeys and grooms) are bricks and mortar and regulators the roofs. Breeders invest in land; infrastructure; and bloodstock. They provide the sport’s competitors....

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...

How often have you heard the refrain from punters exiting the track with empty pockets “but mi did pick five winners today…”? These punters have lost sight of the most important factor in any enterprise, namely its objective is the pursuit of profit.  Especially in Jamaica, where the Tote...

Turning local horse racing around won’t be easy for the simple reason it’s been operating on too many fiscal fallacies for too long. Firstly, the industry’s investors have been put to sit at the back of the bus for so long they struggle to recognize the injustice. FACT: Breeders, owners...