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By Neto Baptiste
Former president of the Antigua Turf Club (ATC), Neil Cochrane, said the body’s membership remains in the dark regarding the status of the planned EC$ 30 million investment into the Cassada Gardens Race Track by the St. Croix based Caravelle Group.
Confirming that sitting ATC President Hansen Richards has indicated his intention to step down at the end of December, Cochrane said he is yet to meet with the membership on the matter.
“No meeting has been called to have that discussion since the last thing I told you in terms of the whole reapplication of concessions. There are owners who did have houses there, feeding them from since racing was on a break, still hoping that the racing continues. Every day I walk in town, I’m approached and I’m asked about the racing and what’s happening, but I’m not the leader at this point in time,” he said.
Reports are that the intended investment fell through after Cabinet rejected additional requests for concessions by the group. In a social media post in October, Richards suggested that work at the Cassada Gardens Race Track was at a standstill due to Cabinet’s delay in approving “a certain tax exemption request” he deems “crucial for the investment to proceed”.
Cochrane said that from what he understands, a number of factors may have led the current situation.
“There was some point of disagreement between the investment group and the government where the government was not interested in providing any additional concession. Now, we were told after that came out that there was still the intent even without that, for the project to continue and that is something that we were told. Then again, there came, what is it called, Bronco-gate and that came around. Then as I understand it, all matters of concessions were withdrawn and had to reapply and I’m told that the horseracing investment situation is also affected by that,” he said.
Government, in January 2025, revealed it had received a request from the Caravelle Group in St Croix, hoping to improve the Cassada Gardens Race track, but noted that “Cabinet is considering alternatives.” Following negotiations between Cabinet and the turf club, it was however decided the track will remain at its current location, despite a push by government to have it relocated.
The turf club won a court battle against Carlton “Tyre Master” Lewis in 2018, giving them rights to the facility after the businessman claimed he had a valid lease for the property.
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