Diamond Mile set to return to the local racing calendar

Following a 6 year absence, the Grade 1 Diamond Mile race which was once ranked as the richest event in the English-speaking Caribbean, will be reintroduced on the local racing calendar in July. 

The re-introduction marks a change of date, compared to the previous five editions which were held on the first Saturday in December.
 
The last edition of the race had a purse of $15 million and Radio Jamaica Sports understands that the purse for this year's staging will be more than the 2019 event.

However, Executive Chairman of Supreme Ventures Racing and Entertainment Limited (SVREL), Solomon Sharpe was tight-lipped about the specific purse during Thursday's announcement at the Main Event boardroom at Ardenne Emirates. The Diamond Mile will now be an additional qualifier for December's ultra-rich Mouttet Mile.

Meanwhile, Thursday's announcement represents a new partnership between SVREL and the Jamaica Racing Commission (JRC) for the 2026 racing season.

The JRC will make a financial contribution that will go towards enhancing race purses, with the first major initiative from the alignment being the re-introduction of the Diamond Mile.
 
The sponsorship from the JRC also forms part of the three year stimulus vision to increase the stock of horses following the government's decision to remove the general consumption tax on the importation of horses.