Horse racing at Caymanas Park is facing a crisis, says Jamaica Racehorse Trainers' Association (JRTA) President Vin Edwards, who is calling on State Minister of Finance Don Wehby to meet with trainers to address the issues.

Wehby, a prominent owner, has portfolio responsibility for racing.

The requested meeting was one of the decisions taken yesterday morning at an emergency meeting of the JRTA in the Trainers' Room at Caymanas Park.

The meeting, attended by over 80 trainers, was called against the background of escalating prices for feed and equipment and above all, problems arising from the new requirements for a trainer's licence by the regulatory body, the Jamaica Racing Commission (JRC), effective February 1.

This has affected the quality of racing at Caymanas Park since its implementation last Saturday, resulting in small fields and with it, reduced sales, among other things.

Edwards said a resolution was passed calling on the JRC to give delinquent trainers a further grace period of two months to pay up outstanding statutory deductions.

Today's Ash Wednesday meet was almost cancelled due to insufficient entries, as only 59 horses embracing eight races have been declared. A number of trainers had still not complied with the new ruling that they be registered and up to date with their National Insurance Scheme (NIS) and National Housing Trust (NHT) payments on behalf of the grooms. As a result, their horses were deemed ineligible to run today.

Renewal of licences

This new stipulation has been tied to the renewal of licences for the first time. Therein lies the crux of the matter.

According to Edwards, who is fully compliant with the new requirements, trainers are not against compliance, contrary to the popular belief. He explains:

"The JRC has been trying for a long time to get statutory deductions going. We've had difficulties because of the cultural attitude of grooms who don't want money to be taken from their wages. This time, the commission believes enough is enough but they have implemented it, tying it to the renewal of licences.

"I cannot see any rule, saying it should be done that way. There is no rule stating that licences should be married to statutory deductions.

"They started putting out notices in December, saying licences expired December 31. Most of the trainers paid their licences but the statutory deductions caused a problem, being retroactive to 2006, with a penalty ..."

On Monday, the JRC's general manager, Ruth-Ann Smith-Sutherland, said trainers got ample notices and extensions to put their houses in order, more than two years ago.

"For the past two years, trainers were advised this would have been enforced as a condition for renewal of permits," she said.

"The commission has no interest in taxes," she added. "The commission is interested in grooms, who consistently make representation to us ... going to the NHT and no contribution is there for them"

She continued that: "The status of grooms at the end of their careers is a well known issue in racing when they get nothing although there is the NIS scheme to which payments should have been made for them to get benefits".

Smith-Sutherland said the new requirements should have been implemented from January, 2007, but the trainers' association, at the end of 2006, met with the JRC board, which granted their request for an extension.

She said the JRC, which meets on Thursday, would revisit the matter in light of the new developments.

Meanwhile, former president of the JRTA, Lee Clarke, now deputy chairman of CTL, yesterday said: "There is a proposal I will be putting to the board as early as possible. If accepted, then there shouldn't be a problem for the next three years".

Clarke, himself a trainer, is also the deputy mayor of Kingston.