Itâs strange the way the world works. We trundle along, lost in our own ideas of whatâs actually going on around us, all the while, blissfully unaware of the stench thatâs always hidden from our view. And Iâd suspect that racing is full of the stuff. Every now and then something comes to light, and we all quite rightly jump up and down, demanding that action be taken. We donât want this stuff tainting our enjoyment of a sport we hold to be based on a fair deal for all. When these practices are uncovered weâre more often than not, forced onto the back foot, in defence of the game. We've heard it all before. âThey are only a small minority, most of the people in the sport are above reproach.â This might be true, but I think the unseemly side of the racing industry is much more pervasive than most of us care to admit. We tend to turn a blind eye to the practice of running a horse dead, in an effort to drive down the animalâs weight. Or the habit of giving a youngster a soft run. None of these things help the poor old punter who relies on the probity of the stables concerned. We donât like what we see, but we put up with it to such an extent, that we now accept it as a given. Personally, I donât think it ethical. But these small infractions are nothing to the serious stuff that must be going on all over the globe. Just because we canât see or hear it, doesn't mean that it doesn't exist, it just means that weâre ignorant of the fact.
A case in example, is that which has hit the headlines in Australia of late. It involves the actions of a New South Wales steward who allegedly has been taking backhanders from a number of sources, for not doing his job at pacing meetings. For a year and a half now, he has been making sure that certain horses under his jurisdiction, have not been sent to the swabbing sheds. In that time period, police have alleged that heâs received as much as $400,000 in corrupt payments. Several houses have been raided, and to date five people have been arrested, one of whom is the New South Wales premier reins-man. As things stand at the moment, police have listed thirty eight races where they think corruption has taken place. A lot of the infractions are centered around one particular stable that has been getting quite a number of winners from a select number of horses. The phone records of some eighty persons have been scanned. Police have not ruled out further arrests.
This stench comes at a time when one of the premier events on the Grand Circuit takes place at Menangle Park tonight. The G1 Miracle Mile, a $500,000 invitational event has been smeared by the sad saga. One of the runners Karloo Mick has had to have a driver change, as the man initially listed to take the seat, had been stood down since his arrest. I like to tell myself that the sport is clean, but deep down, I firmly believe it to one of the least honest businesses with which we have to deal with on a daily basis. I have to ask myself, are the actions of those above, theirs alone, or are just the ones who got caught? Iâll take the latter.
A case in example, is that which has hit the headlines in Australia of late. It involves the actions of a New South Wales steward who allegedly has been taking backhanders from a number of sources, for not doing his job at pacing meetings. For a year and a half now, he has been making sure that certain horses under his jurisdiction, have not been sent to the swabbing sheds. In that time period, police have alleged that heâs received as much as $400,000 in corrupt payments. Several houses have been raided, and to date five people have been arrested, one of whom is the New South Wales premier reins-man. As things stand at the moment, police have listed thirty eight races where they think corruption has taken place. A lot of the infractions are centered around one particular stable that has been getting quite a number of winners from a select number of horses. The phone records of some eighty persons have been scanned. Police have not ruled out further arrests.
This stench comes at a time when one of the premier events on the Grand Circuit takes place at Menangle Park tonight. The G1 Miracle Mile, a $500,000 invitational event has been smeared by the sad saga. One of the runners Karloo Mick has had to have a driver change, as the man initially listed to take the seat, had been stood down since his arrest. I like to tell myself that the sport is clean, but deep down, I firmly believe it to one of the least honest businesses with which we have to deal with on a daily basis. I have to ask myself, are the actions of those above, theirs alone, or are just the ones who got caught? Iâll take the latter.
Far too fast for me. I have to ask them to slow down. Amanda gets more involved and can converse much better than I can. I tend to construct my sentences as correctly as I can and then have difficulty understanding the reply. Once they hear you say anything in French they gabble away as though you are French. Some sounds are very difficult. My grandson at school has a lovely French accent but mine gives the game away. The number of times I ask in French and they reply in English...............lost count.