Air transport frustrating horse owners

Documenting this on Thursday was Arima Race Club racing secretary Robin Jaisingh.

He said for the Royal Oak Derby last year, an unnamed airline wanted to charge the ARC US$60,000 to transport one horse to Trinidad, and for the return journey they quoted a fee of $50,000.

Speaking about this year’s Sagicor Independence Cup at the launch at Sagicor headquarters, Queen’s Park West on Thursday, he indicated he received six calls from Barbados a week and a half ago to race in the prestigious event and so make it a Caribbean rivalry.

But he lamented, that time was too short for the horses to go into quarantine both in Barbados and here before the race.

Earlier this year, trainers Edmund de Freitas and Glenn Mendez had the same difficulty with transportation to Barbados for their horses.

Miss Lover Lover was to challenge for the Gold Cup and Crown Point in another event, but lack of proper transportation forced connections to abandon the attempt.

But arc president Gerard Ferreira said they and the Ministry of Trade under which horse racing falls, are making every effort to sorting out this problem.

He said Minister Ken Valley told him that we own BWIA and must be able to do something to make Santa Rosa Park, Arima, the equine capital of the Caribbean.