Rooplal ousted from ARC

PERSAD ROOPLAL is no longer chief executive officer of the Arima Race Club.

This was confirmed yesterday by ARC president Gerard Ferreira who said the management committee of the ARC decided to sever ties with Rooplal on June 30 “in an amicable way.” Ferreira, the outgoing Mayor of San Fernando who was recently elected president of the ARC claimed his organisation had fulfilled their part of the bargain and said Rooplal was paid off according to his contractual agreement. He however failed to disclose the figure attached to the “golden handshake.” Rooplal replaced Jamaican-born Chris Armond, who left to take up a similar but more lucrative post at the Garrison Savannah in Barbados.

Soon after taking up his appointment, Rooplal began introducing cost-cutting and strict security measures at the centralised racing plant at Arima. He was a stickler for discipline and accountability and because of this he was disliked by some workers. His policies were thought to be too forceful and high-handed and he also did not find favour with some major stakeholders in the industry. And one owner who did not see eye-to-eye with Rooplal promised to sponsor a full day’s racing as soon as he left. Rooplal’s autocratic style infuriated grooms, trainers, owners and members of staff. While a few people claimed that some of the measure taken were for the betterment of the industry, most were in favour of the decision taken by the management committee of the ARC to dismiss him.

The void left by Rooplal is currently being  filled by Ferreia and vice-president John O’Brien. Ferreira said, yesterday, “John and myself will share the workload before a decision could be made on what kind of qualification would be needed for the post, or whether the human resourses exist at the club.”