BUSINESSMAN Poonai Bhiroog will head a nine-member interim body to run the affairs of the Guyana Horse Racing Authority (GHRA) following an election held last Sunday on the West Coast Berbice.
The newly elected body replaced the previous administration which was inactive for a number of years, following the resignation of the-then president Vickram Ouditt who demitted office in February last year.
Other members of the executives are: Fazal Habibulla (First vice-president), Dennis De Roop, (Second vice-president), Mohindra Persaud (Third vice-president), Godwyn Allicock (secretary), Francis Chichester (treasurer) and Issac Dallo (assistant secretary/treasurer).
The committee members are: Nazrudeen Mohammed (Junior), Therbhuwan Jagdeo and Lakeram Sookdeo.
The Jockeys’ representative is Alan Padmore while Colin Elcock and Zaheer Sheriff are the trainers’ and horse owners’ representatives.
After the elections, Bhiroog said his immediate task is to raise the standard of the sport and to attract more small stables to horse racing.
Meanwhile, Allicock in an invited comment yesterday indicated that the interim body will also be looking at the implementation of the long overdue horse racing legislation.
Over the years the work of the GHRA has been put on hold due to the lack of a critical piece of legislation that will legitimise its operations.
Dubbed the ‘Sport of Kings’, horse racing, since its resuscitation locally, has been operating under a legal document that was registered under the Miscellaneous Deeds Act.
But back in 2014, a key step to regularise the sport was taken when the-then Legal Adviser to the Guyana Horse Racing Authority (GHRA), Rajendra Poonai, handed over draft legislation on the sport to then Sport Minister Dr Frank Anthony.
Nothing much was done by the previous administration with regard to the implementation of the legislation.
However, the present Government cannot escape their fair share of criticism since a copy of a horse racing legislation has been with the government for some time now.
In fact, an official from the GHRA has confirmed that the copy was handed over to the National Sports Commission late 2015.
Subsequently, Assistant Director of Sport, Brian Smith, confirmed earlier this year that NSC had indeed received the document which was sent to the Attorney General’s Chambers.
But the Attorney General Chambers remained sceptical about the status of the document.
The draft Guyana Horse Racing Authority Act, which will allow the sport to run more effectively and to deal with violators, includes: increasing the membership of the Racing Authority from nine to 15; including the Bush Lot United Turf Club as a member of the GHRA and implementing a two-year term for members of the Authority.
The legislation, which was championed by former GHRA president Justice Cecil Kennard, will also give the GHRA the power to schedule race dates for race meetings in the event that a club is unable to run off a race meeting.