>Caymanas Park is located at Gregory Park, Portmore, St. Catherine
A former sugar estate, owned by Alexander Hamilton, the racetrack was designed by Bartholomew Vicens-Oliver and was officially opened in August 1959. The ownership changed hands over the years, until 1975, when the Government took control of its operations. Three (3) years prior to the Government take-over, a new legal structure was put in place to regulate and control horse racing and the management of Caymanas Park, hence, the Jamaica Racing Commission (JRC) was established. The Jockey Club, formed in 1905, which was previously entrusted with regulating the sport, was incorporated into the JRC.
Horse racing had to be subsidised by the Government of the day during this time, as the industry was not as profitable as expected; consequently, in 1989, the governing People’s National Party named Daniel “Danny” Melville as its Chairman. Under Melville’s Chairmanship and with the help of Chris Armond( a horseracing aficionado, who relocated to Jamaica from Florida) significant improvements such as the installation of a multi-million dollar Totalizator System and the implementation of the Claiming System of races were made. The Claiming System allowed for different types of races to be added to racecards, additionally, more exotic bets were made available to punters such as the Exacta, Trifecta, Superfecta, Hi 5, Pick 6 and Pick 9. This also enabled the expansion of computerised Off Track Betting Parlours. The Horse Racing Industry began to flourish.
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