Headlines and innuendo
August 15th 2008 09:08
A report just released by retired judge Gordon Lewis has been splashed across newspapers and has been a major topic of talk back radio today. It made great headlines:
Crime 'rampant' at the racetrack
(The Age)
Judge takes whip to racing industry
(Heraldsun)
and these quotes:
"VICTORIA'S horse racing industry has a culture of tolerating criminality."
"It appears many horse racing industry participants were not concerned with whether or not funds used to engage in betting were legitimately attained."
"Its (organised crime) presence is most apparent in the betting ring where the laundering of the proceeds of crime had been commonplace," Lewis said in a statement of his principal findings.
"The recommendations in this report are designed to address the problem, although I acknowledge that it is not easy to combat what has been historically, a tolerance of criminality."
But for all the hysteria it is plain that the crux of the report is the use of bookmakers by criminals to launder money. This should be investigated - but it is a police and criminal matter rather than a purely racing concern.
Talk back callers - even ABC radio commentators - were (mostly) all assuming that this went to the integrity of racing in Victoria. It does not. No examples of impropriety are specified, although the innuendo tarnishes the reputation of racing.
In reality we should expand the investigation of money laundering across many industries: restaurants, real estate, or the car industry. It is expected that a bookmaker not take a bet from someone whom he suspects as being a criminal - while this onus of proof and guesstimate to integrity is not compulsory (or expected) in other fields.
I'm disappointed that the integrity of horse racing in Victoria is now a topic of conversation for the ill-informed.
One aspect the judge mentioned was jockeys' selling tips. What a waste of money if anyone is so stupid as to wish to buy tips from jockeys. Even a great judge like Steve Arnold jumped off Efficient before last year's Melbourne Cup to ride 'greybeard' Gallic. How much would that 'tip' be worth? They have opinions - but they are not great judges of likely outcome.
Trainer Rick Hore-Lacy (who has a law degree) has hit back at the claims and assumptions of the report. He says that in 35 years of training he has never been asked to do anything illegal, by a criminal figure or other, for reward.
(photo: rickhorelacy.com.au)
"It is an insult to the 99 percent of trainers, jockeys and bookmakers and anybody else who works in the industry," an angry Hore-Lacy said after reading retired County Court judge Gordon Lewis's conclusions about the suggested connection between organised crime and horse racing.
"It is full of vague, spurious assertions," he said. "Quite frankly, I find it offensive."
"People slave their guts out all day to earn an honest living," he said. "Never in my 35 years have I been approached by anyone in racing to be involved in any criminality."
Crime 'rampant' at the racetrack
(The Age)
Judge takes whip to racing industry
(Heraldsun)
and these quotes:
"VICTORIA'S horse racing industry has a culture of tolerating criminality."
"It appears many horse racing industry participants were not concerned with whether or not funds used to engage in betting were legitimately attained."
"Its (organised crime) presence is most apparent in the betting ring where the laundering of the proceeds of crime had been commonplace," Lewis said in a statement of his principal findings.
"The recommendations in this report are designed to address the problem, although I acknowledge that it is not easy to combat what has been historically, a tolerance of criminality."
But for all the hysteria it is plain that the crux of the report is the use of bookmakers by criminals to launder money. This should be investigated - but it is a police and criminal matter rather than a purely racing concern.
Talk back callers - even ABC radio commentators - were (mostly) all assuming that this went to the integrity of racing in Victoria. It does not. No examples of impropriety are specified, although the innuendo tarnishes the reputation of racing.
In reality we should expand the investigation of money laundering across many industries: restaurants, real estate, or the car industry. It is expected that a bookmaker not take a bet from someone whom he suspects as being a criminal - while this onus of proof and guesstimate to integrity is not compulsory (or expected) in other fields.
I'm disappointed that the integrity of horse racing in Victoria is now a topic of conversation for the ill-informed.
One aspect the judge mentioned was jockeys' selling tips. What a waste of money if anyone is so stupid as to wish to buy tips from jockeys. Even a great judge like Steve Arnold jumped off Efficient before last year's Melbourne Cup to ride 'greybeard' Gallic. How much would that 'tip' be worth? They have opinions - but they are not great judges of likely outcome.
Trainer Rick Hore-Lacy (who has a law degree) has hit back at the claims and assumptions of the report. He says that in 35 years of training he has never been asked to do anything illegal, by a criminal figure or other, for reward.
Trainer Rick Hore-Lacey
(photo: rickhorelacy.com.au)
"It is an insult to the 99 percent of trainers, jockeys and bookmakers and anybody else who works in the industry," an angry Hore-Lacy said after reading retired County Court judge Gordon Lewis's conclusions about the suggested connection between organised crime and horse racing.
"It is full of vague, spurious assertions," he said. "Quite frankly, I find it offensive."
"People slave their guts out all day to earn an honest living," he said. "Never in my 35 years have I been approached by anyone in racing to be involved in any criminality."
| 37 |
| Vote |
Shared on
Subscribe to this blog
Comment by Brad Waters
Punters Daily
And He's a Victorian!!! - Victoria's Sporting stars
Treat them with a grain of salt.
The trainers at Flemington this morning thought it was hilarious....they are all waiting for their bribe from an organised crime figure!!!
Comment by Leonard Marlborough
Racing Write
Not so much a concern for our benefit, but even casual punters (who should know better) tend to think the worst when the short-priced favourite gets beat. Like Tesbury Jack...notwithstanding that Commanding Hope had best recent speedfigures for that race. Form comparisons are complex - but we get it right more often in racing than the economic pundits do when telling us that it was certain that the A$ would go to parity with the US$ (planning parity parties!). And that is a two-horse race!!
On ABC Radio yesterday Ali Moore (the presenter) was having a field day with the cliche of the headlines, but tragically out of her depth in knowledge of the matter. And some idiots phoned in and stated that they KNEW that racing was fixed (yeah, someone told someone who told his cousin). Moore is a business correspondent mainly and need only look into her own 'sport' to find corruption rife with insider trading benefiting the powerful and 'mug punter' investors being duped daily. Most horses run on their merits and those who care for the animals have a higher degree of morals than (very) many of our 'businessmen'. In suits. In court. In gaol.
The whole report grew from a political panic - and now the Opposition (Liberals) see it as beneficial to blow it up to suit their needs - not letting the need for facts to get in the way.
I hear the ill-informed comments from people not involved with racing - very much a Damon Runyon view of the industry where every winner is already known. I thought I knew a winner this week at Sandown. Very confident. And we ran into Saranda having his first start. They were confident (and they were right) too!
You are right Brad, we know the report is practically all garbage (any enterprise that involves gambling will always attract some shady characters) - but the mud will stick. Most people will not look past a headline.
Even ABC presenters who should know better. But I'm sure that the tabloid version of radio was even worse.
Good on Rick for having a go straight back at them!
Comment by Brad Waters
Punters Daily
And He's a Victorian!!! - Victoria's Sporting stars
Most of the rubbish has emanated from News Limited papers, especially Ray Thomas from the Sydney Daily Telegraph.