Jockeys pull plug at Caymanas Park — Parchment says safety first

J ockeys made a collective decision to withdraw from the remainder of Saturday’s (October 24,2026) 10-race programme at Caymanas Park, citing unsafe track conditions compounded by water-logging and potholes, according to senior rider Phillip Parchment. TOO MUCH WATER! A tractor harrows the saturated track at Caymanas Park on Saturday, October 24, 2026, as officials after the stewards and jockeys agreed to abandon the final two races due to unsafe conditions. (Photo: Garfield Robinson) “Well, all jockeys have come to an agreement that the condition of the racetrack is not safe. The track condition, the water logging, and a few holes in the track, and the safety of the riders, they have decided not to go back out there.

I think it is their life, it is their livelihood and so it’s in their best interest to take the best decision possible,” Parchment told the Jamaica Observer ’s The Supreme Racing Guide . WADING THROUGH! A track worker makes his way across the haeavily water-logged Caymanas Park racing surface on Saturday, October 24, 2026, shortly after officials abandoned the final two races when jockeys declared the track unsafe. (Photo: Garfield Robinson) Racing was officially abandoned after the eighth race, with races nine and 10 called off following consultations between the Jamaica Racing Commission (JRC) stewards and representatives of the Jamaica Jockeys’ Guild. UNRIDEABLE! A water-logged and pot-holed Caymanas Park racing surface on Saturday, October 24, 2026, after jockeys and Jamaica Racing Commission stewards agreed to abandon the final two races due to unsafe track conditions (Photo: Garfield Robinson) Prior to the abandonment, the track had been officially listed as sloppy by the track superintendent due to inclement weather. A tractor harrows the saturated…