ARC boss not responding to threats

The owners following a meeting on Sunday, are threatening to withhold their entries and are calling on members of the ARC executive committee who are also trainers to resign before April 30.

But contacted by telephone yesterday, Ferreira said, “we are too close to getting government support.”

On the question of resigning, he said, “both myself and vice-president John O’Brien will be happy to pass on responsibility.

“John and myself will prefer to be trainers.”

Ferreira said O’Brien played a major role in turning around the horse racing industry and reiterated “we need sthe support of government to put things right.”

He pointed out that the owners were against trainers holding executive office, but by the same token, what about owners in management, he questioned.

At Sunday’s meeting, a resolution called for “no licensed trained to be a member of the management committee.

And they indicated their intention to withhold entries should the trainers on the management continue to hold office after April 30. They are also calling on the ARC to change the claiming/allowance system, the threshold levels of therapeutic drugs and the handicapping system.

The meeting chaired by ROA president Glen Billouin also indicated to the ARC they will not pay subscriptions for races if they make it part of the stakes money, and demand that there be replays of races on the day following an objection and the disqualification of a horse.