IMI: MARKET INFORMATION ON HORSE RACING

(NOTE: NUMBER 1 IS NOT INCLUDED)

2. HISTORY OF BEGINNING THOROUGHBRED BREEDING OPERATIONS IN UZBEKISTAN GOES BACK TO THE EARLY 1970S. THE FIRST STATE FARM WAS ESTABLISHED BY GOVERNMENT DECREE IN 1970. AT THE SAME TIME, GOVERNMENT OF UZBEKISTAN ISSUED SEVERAL DECREES SUPPORTING THOROUGHBRED BREEDING OPERATION IN THE REPUBLIC IN ORDER TO CREATE ITS OWN HORSE RACING FACILITIES. BY THE DECREE, EACH REGION WAS TO HAVE A HIPPODROME, CAUSING THE THOROUGHBRED BREEDING OPERATIONS TO BOOM. SEVERAL THOROUGHBRED HORSES WERE BOUGHT FROM RUSSIAN FEDERATION AND TWO MORE SPECIALIZED FARMS WERE ESTABLISHED IN DJIZZAK AND KASHKADARYA (BOTH REGIONAL CENTERS).

3. PEAK OF THE THOROUGHBRED RACETRACKS CAME IN 1980S, WHEN THE TASHKENT HIPPODROME ATTRACTED MORE THAN 300 HORSES FOR A DAY OF RACES. AFTER THE BREAKDOWN OF THE FORMER SOVIET UNION THE THOROUGHBRED RACETRACKS AND BREEDING OPERATIONS STARTED TO DECLINE. CURRENTLY, TASHKENT HIPPODROME BARELY GATHERS 90 HORSES FOR A RACE, AND THE NUMBER OF THOROUGHBRED BREEDING FARMS SHARPLY DECREASING DUE TO THE FOLLOWING FACTORS:

1. FIRST, THE GOVERNMENT DECREASED ITS FUNDING OF THOROUGHBRED BREEDING OPERATIONS WHICH LEFT MANY FARMS WITH FINANCIAL DIFFICULTIES. FOR EXAMPLE, IN THE MAIN FARM AT TASHKENT THERE ARE ONLY 50 THOROUGHBRED HORSES LEFT. DUE TO THE FINANCIAL PROBLEMS, THE OTHER TWO FARMS IN DJIZZAK AND KASHKADARYA ELIMINATED THEIR THOROUGHBRED OPERATIONS AND MAINTAINED ONLY "KARABAYIR" OPERATIONS (SEE PARA 4.)

2. SECOND, THE POOR CONDITIONS IN THE FARMS AND LACK OF ADEQUATE FINANCING, FORCED MANY FARMS TO TERMINATE RESEARCH AND EXPERIMENTS WITH THOROUGHBRED BREEDING OPERATIONS, WHICH HAD AN IMPACT ON THE QUALITY OF THOROUGHBRED HORSES.

3. THIRD, DIMINISHING NUMBER OF THOROUGHBRED RACETRACKS CAUSED THE DEMAND FOR THOROUGHBRED HORSES TO DROP SHARPLY.

4. FOURTH, FOLLOWING THE BREAK-UP OF THE SOVIET UNION,THE NATIONAL SPORT OF CENTRAL ASIA, "ULAK" (SIMILAR TO POLO), WAS REESTABLISHED. "ULAK" REQUIRES STRONG HORSES SUCH AS "KARABAYIR". THEREFORE, MANY FARMS STARTED TO CONCENTRATE BREEDING EFFORTS ON "KARABAYIR," RATHER THAN THOROUGHBREDS.

5. AS A RESULT OF ALL OF THE ABOVE , THE ONLY FARM THAT CURRENTLY DEALS WITH THOROUGHBRED BREEDING IS IN TASHKENT.

4. "KARABAYIR" IS AN ANCIENT BREED OF HORSES BRED FOR CENTURIES IN UZBEKISTAN. THIS TYPE OF HORSE IS VERY STRONG PHYSICALLY AND BETTER SUITED FOR ULAK. FURTHERMORE, DRASTIC CHANGES IN THE CLIMATE (WHICH ARE VERY COMMON IN CENTRAL ASIA) IS NOT A PROBLEM FOR "KARABAYIR".

5. PRICES FOR THE THOROUGHBRED AND "KARABAYIR" HORSES ARE RELATIVELY LOW. FOR THOROUGHBRED HORSES PRICE RANGES FROM USD 2,000-3,000, AND FOR "KARABAYIR" FROM USD 1,000-2,000.