The horse racing fraternity will soon have legislation to guide them after decades of running without clear guidelines and rules.
According to the Minister of Culture. Youth and Sport, Charles Ramson Jr. the draft legislation has been completed. He made this disclosure at an outreach in Berbice over the weekend.
Chief on the cards, will be the formation of a legally recognized Guyana Horse Racing Authority which will oversee the regulation of major stables, officials, jockeys, and handlers.
In relation to the legislation, Ramson Jr. said; “It is completed, in terms of the draft. It has already been approved to move to the sub-committee. In the next few weeks, the sub-committee will review in detail. Once it is approved and finalized, it is then approved to be laid by parliament, then we have a debate.”
In terms of a timeline for the legislation to be approved, Ramson Jr. explained; “I expect that to happen before the recess.
The recess is in August, the first week in August. It is quite possible that the debate will be completed before the recess. If it does not, it won’t be much longer after the recess. I expect that, once we complete the review and it is laid in parliament, I don’t foresee a long time before we move towards the debate in parliament.”
This legislation is nothing new to the horseracing scene with previous attempts at its institution being made in 2014.
Once it is approved, the Horse Racing Authority will be able to address violations, expand the Authority’s membership, introduce term limits, and implement licensing for owners, jockeys, and trainers.
Major players in the horseracing fraternity have been looking forward to this legislation as it is expected to bring clarity, structure, and oversight to the horse racing industry.
