‘Turbo’ Jagdeo calls for Government to assist horse-racing

-welcomes any inquiry

The fate of horse-racing could change dramatically if Government were to intervene to get the sport developed as quickly as possible, owner/trainer/administrator Therbhuwan ‘Turbo’ Jagdeo has declared.
He has said, “(In)no part of the world, horse-racing could survive without a betting system and other forms of income. We have neither.”
Jagdeo has said he is making this appeal because of misinformation relayed by way of social media and because of a letter send to the press calling on the Minister of Culture, Youth, and Sport to conduct an inquiry into Sunday’s race card staged at the Port Mourant Turf Club (PMTC) in Berbice.

An executive member of the PMTC Management Committee, Jagdeo described Sunday’s incident as unfortunate, and said, “I welcome any form of inquiry on the sport by any Government Ministry.”
Jagdeo’s plea is: “We need a lot of resources, and only the Government can help us to improve the sport and develop the various racing facilities. For example, we do not have sufficient stables at the racetracks to house horses entered to race. Those horses have to be held by their grooms until it is time to saddle, and this is impacting on their performance.”
Sharing how he, Nasrudeen ‘Junior’ Mohamed and Fazal Habibulla have been struggling to stage a race card, and why racing is still taking place, Jagdeo declared: “Everybody believe horse-race make money. If my horses did not win on Sunday, I would have been at a loss in staging the day’s card. After race day expenses and prize moneys paid out from the gate receipts, and sponsor money – which I haven’t received as yet – me, as a horse owner, lost money.”
Speaking about challenges promoters face, and how Government’s intervention with grants could help them keep staging the sport, Jagdeo explained, “It’s a high-maintenance sport. You are trying your best to entertain, and then this backlash. If anyone watch the recorded video of the race, they will realise how unfortunate this incident was. Yes, it’s not nice, but look at the incident in the real context. A horse fell, and when it fell it brought down another horse. The other horse was a long way behind, but the rider, instead of watching ahead of him, kept riding and his horse slammed into the fallen second horse. How could the track and the sport be blamed for the rider’s error?”
He continued, “Yes, we do not have a perfect system, but we are working on getting it right. We could get it right if we get help. On the whole, the sport needs to be regulated.”
Pointing out the immediate challenges, he advised, “We have to get people off the track and the parade ring. If they should get kick in the parade ring or a horse run into them on the track and somebody gets knock down, there will be an outcry for Government to shut down the track, and it will not be our fault.”
Suggesting remedial measures, Jagdeo remarked, “We need turfites and owners’ full support. They should allow the horse to be the spectacle, and not them. If they get injured because of their carelessness, then the industry get blamed, and not them. They do not know how much we do to prevent these problems, and how best we try to prepare a good track, and what it costs us. Despite the changing weather pattern, there is only so much we, as private people, could do. We trying our best to bring the sport to the best standard to save the jobs of thousands, direct and indirect.”
He predicted, “If this sport is given the support, we will be hub for Caribbean horse-racing. Our projection is to have invitational races to encourage the Caribbean and other racing jurisdictions in the USA to compete in our backyard.”
He declared: “This is not wishful thinking; it will happen. A blessing in disguise is not the right thing to say, but Sunday’s incident generated a lot of bad publicity. However, it gave us the opportunity to highlight the challenges we face. In the face of adversity, we have to grow stronger. We haven’t given up. We will survive, and the sport will be second to none.”