Ainsley Walters, Freelance Writer

Caymanas Track Limited racing secretary Denzil Miller. - file

MANAGEMENT at Caymanas Track Limited (CTL) yesterday announced horse racing should resume at Caymanas Park next Wednesday afternoon as repairs to the stable area and other buildings are well under way in response to the damage caused by Hurricane Dean at the weekend.

Horse racing at the island's lone racetrack came to a screeching halt when strong winds from the category four system blew off roofs from several stables and left close to 60 horses exposed to the elements last Sunday night.

Emergency meeting

Yesterday's midweek programme was scrapped and the extent of the damage forced CTL's management to also call off this Saturday's weekend meet.

However, following an emergency board meeting, management at CTL yesterday announced the racetrack would be ready for next Wednesday.

"We will not be having a race meet before next Wednesday," executive marketing manager, Millicent Lynch, told STAR Sports.

"We had our insurance company in the day after hurricane and assessments done. They've given us the go-ahead to start working. We started on Tuesday and we've repaired several stables.

"We will continue to do so and expect to finish in time to have racing next Wednesday," she added.

Racing secretary Denzil Miller Jr. confirmed work on Charles Morrissey's stalls was completed, whereas Paul Smith, with whom he shares barn, was close to having his section finished.

"Work has also started on the Salix Centre and we're continuing the clean-up process, plus helping the nearby communities by providing water," Miller pointed out.

Entries on Monday

The racing secretary said none of the affected horses are without roofs over their heads.

"Most of them were relocated as we had enough empty stalls and they were moved around by the morning after the storm," Miller said.

Racing, Miller said, appears to be a go for next Wednesday.

"I would think so," he said. "What we're going to do is accept entries on Monday for Wednesday instead of Saturday.

"We're giving the trainers two extra days to prepare their horses and we're also buying time to get the plant ready for punters, horses and horsemen as we continue to clean up," he said.

Wednesday's race meet is expected to attract significant betting as there is a $6.3 million Pick-9 carryover from Saturday's programme.