Health inspectors give Caymanas Park 30 days to fix sanitation concerns

KINGSTON, Jamaica — Ministry of Health inspectors have given Supreme Ventures Racing and Entertainment Limited 30 days to deal with drainage problems at Caymanas Park, remove discarded drink bottles from verges, and set up another sanitation-focused session for grooms and trainers.

Carlton Bernard, facilities manager at Caymanas Park, accompanied the ministry team during Wednesday's inspection, which began in the patrons' stands. He said the officials also examined the jockeys' room, where a blocked drain was flagged. According to Bernard, the blockage was linked to sand being rinsed from equipment after riders came back from the track.

The inspectors later asked to view bathrooms serving the stables. Bernard said the first trainers' restroom they checked was in good order, but the facility used by grooms was not. He said inspectors showed him a video and requested a visit to the stable where toilets had recently been distributed.

At that location, the trainers' bathroom was locked. The team observed that one of the new toilets had been fitted in the grooms' bathroom, but the surrounding area was not being maintained properly. Bernard said the group then moved to an adjoining stable, where the trainers' bathroom was described as excellent, while the grooms' facility required cleaning.

Bernard said the inspectors, after reviewing the bathrooms and being told that bottle litter along the verges had been cleared before and after Hurricane Melissa, decided that grooms and trainers should receive further education on proper upkeep of sanitary facilities. He has been asked to organise that meeting.

He said the ministry's visit was welcomed, particularly its willingness to help with sanitation education and facility care across Caymanas Park's 196-acre property, which includes about 80 stable yards, some shared, and 120 assigned barns.