This is a dark time for the image of racing in this country. However, it is not that the problems are new, it is just that racing, as an industry, has hid so many skeletons in the closet that the door can no longer be shut, and we can all see inside.
In what should have been the gala festival for the sport, both forms of equine racing have been rocked by media reports alleging illegal gambling by leading jockeys and doping horses with EPO.
Damian Oliver was charged on Tuesday for placing a $10,000 bet on a horse he was riding against, as reported in The Age on Melbourne Cup Day, and within the week the Herald Sun reported that EPO doping of horses is rife among top gallop and trotter trainers, and has been for a long time.
Now leading trainer Robert Smerdon has been fined $10,000 dollars for treating a horse on race day, while overseas, champion jockey Frankie Dettori has been stood down as it has been confirmed he tested positive to an illegal substance in France, reported to be cocaine.
Historically, equine sport has always had a dirty side. The great Phar Lap’s death in 1932 has always been controversial, as were LKS Mackinnon’s attempts to skew weights against ‘Big Red’ during his life and towards colts, one of which was his own, Carradale.
In 1939, 3XY radio’s Harry Solomon called a race wrongly (after all other radio stations’ wires had been cut) in order to announce his own winner of the race (and get the bookies to pay out).
The Fine Cotton affair in 1984 is probably the best known of the failed attempts of trading off one horse for another, or using a ‘ring-in’.
There is also a history of repeat offending, offenders being linked to past offenders and ‘colourful’ individuals or, as reported in the Herald Sun, major players being ignored in investigations as to avoid finding the truth.
Back in 1993, Frankie Dettori was found by London police to have been in possession of cocaine. Robert Smerdon was fined in February this year for using banned substances on a horse.
Gai Waterhouse might be a clean trainer, but her husband, Robbie Waterhouse, was part of the Fine Cotton affair, and her father, Tommy Smith, was suspended for five years as a trainer for doping horses.
Jim Cassidy was suspended in the mid 90’s for fixing races with a drug dealer, and more recently for having marijuana in his system. Again, to ignore the obvious link is almost negligent.
Racing Victoria’s handling of the on-going Damien Oliver scandal has been an absolute disgrace. The best Oliver could come out with was that the allegations were ‘hurtful’, and Victoria Racing Club’s Dale Monteith saying the publication shouldn’t have been released on Melbourne Cup day.
Sorry Mr Monteith, but if you have murdered someone, the police don’t wait until you have finished your dinner and show before they arrest you.
The Age has now published that Racing Victoria’s CEO Rob Hines knew about Oliver’s bet in the days before the nation stopped for the Melbourne Cup, meaning this whole scenario could have been averted.
Is it a coincidence that all parties concerned used the term ‘due process’ to explain why it took so long to charge Oliver? Or did the racing industry, once again, circle the wagons?
Suffice to say, the goodwill Oliver accrued ten years ago when he won the Cup after the death of his brother has been thrown out the window, despite what Channel Seven’s John Letts thinks.
The sceptic in me says perhaps the Herald Sun ‘sensationalised’ the doping scandal in response to The Age exposé on Damian Oliver. The story itself does not mention any sources.
The problem for racing now is that it will be more of a shock if the allegations are proven untrue. It puts question marks over some of the great horses. Was Makybe Diva really that good to be the first to win three Melbourne Cups?
Even though the racing industry is being dragged through the mud, it is doubtful much will change.
For starters, no one knows how deep the organised criminals have sunk their roots into the industry and what effect it is having.
There are jockeys racing at the moment who are being investigated for being linked with underworld figure Tony Mokbel. Do not forget about the murder of trainer Les Samba, which is believed to involve organized crime.
Secondly, it is such a high revenue earner, and not just for jockeys and other insiders having a punt, that most stakeholders are afraid to rock the boat.
Betting agencies and the government could stand to lose millions in revenue and taxes if confidence in horse racing is shaken too hard. This will lead to great caution from either of these stakeholders supporting any meaningful actions to clean up the industry. Look towards the deafening silence of Rob Hulls, the Minister for Racing.
They should not fear, however. The very nature of gamblers, especially problem gamblers, is that they will still bet as long as there is the promise of a return.
The industry knows that to make revenue all it needs is a race, the promise of a winner, and a strong sense of denial.
greggdee
Guest
Takeover Target,Ethereal,Vo Rogue,Sunline,McGinty are a small sample of horses that produce outstanding results when" loved" and "nurtured".Drugs can NEVER replace this !! It is patently obvious that well known trainers are using "Performance Enhancing " drugs and getting away with it . Just look at the " City" class horses that are sold and NEVER again return anywhere near their previous best rating ! ALL astute punters are alarmed at what racing has become.ALL concerned are reluctant to speak out .The "incestuous" relationships between Stewards,Bookmakers and Trainers speaks volumes !! I now only bet on selected Spring races where prize money and prestige seem to take precedence over GREED and Drug enhanced Horses.
Matt Simpson
Roar Guru
It is basically an 10 month holiday. The 2 months of trackwork beforehand is obviously so he is prepered for spring carnival. He ruins the sports integrity, and they say "your suspended but make sure your back for the big rides next year".
bob manskie
Guest
olivers case wasnt heard until after he rides in all the big races of the spring carnival and that shows how corrupt the people in racing are in itself. then only suspend him enough so he can ride in next years spring carnival just makes me want to perk up. this jockey has done the wrong thing and should be treated accordingly.
Justin Cinque
Expert
Thanks matt for the reply. I mainly agree with your response. I think the tabcorp-run media like sky tv and radio are covering up - they have their business to protect and it's a problem. But that's why RVL's stance against things that lower the integrity of racing should be applauded. Their mantra is 'we will make the public have faith in the sport by eliminating the bad'. As i said, some of their decisions are questionable but they are trying. I think the smerdon penalty needs further explanation. A lot of ppl have claimed double standards. Personally, i'm okay with it. In sentencing smerdon, the stewards took into account the fact that he didn't treat shewan, instead finding him guilty and imposing a fine of 10000 dollars for not doing enough to prevent the treating of shewan. Schofield got a year ban because he was about to treat the horse when the integrity officers arrived. In my opinion, that's fair punishments. Obviously not everyone agrees.
nan
Guest
great article guys- let jockeys bet but the bets have to be monitored as a punter i wouldnt touch a horse that the jockey was riding had placed a bet on another in the same race. The Afl seems to be able to catch people out and deal with them harshley so lets look at what their doing and apply it to all in racing not just jockeys.
sheek
Roar Guru
Matt, You've put forward a reasonable argument, while Justin has returned fire with a compelling alternative. Both respectful but sticking to your guns. The Roar at its best! Well done.....
Matt Simpson
Roar Guru
Justin, I must say I am quite humbled to have such a well respected expert comment on my article. However, I am obviously quite a lot more sceptical about things then yourself. Firstly, I should clarify, when I was talking about profits it was in regards to government and betting agencies. The 2011 Tabcorp annual report shows that they achieved $220.2 million dollars in Earnings before interest and tax (EBIT) through wagering. They also claim to have a 43.3% market share. That is a large income stream to protect.They are tied to racing through the SKY racing channels and $322 million dollars they distributed to the "Victorian Racing Industry". This means the industry needs to keep Tabcorp happy, and Tabcorp wants betting. The government is also tied in to both the racing and betting side. Like betting agencies, Governments have a large revenue stream to protect.The Australasian gaming council reports that in the 2008-09 financial year, state governments collected $388.36 million in taxes from racing, with Victoria accounting for $125.04 million. You must also remember the spring racing carnival generates tax for the government through other boosts to the economy such as tourism, wages and alcohol tax. I cannot see a situation where these stakeholders such as Tabcorp or Government, would want these revenue streams jeopardised by damaging the product. Why would they then bring more of these scandals to light? You also state there isn't enough money in horse racing to be profitable for owners, it is done for love, and prizemoney provided by gambling helps. If it is costing so much, with little hope of return, surely this is more of an incentive to gain income from other means, even underhanded? Especially if the love for the sport is there, but the revenue stream is not? I agree that horse racing would continue if gambling money was taken out, but it would have to be an almighty replacement in income to keep the industry in the size and state that it is. However, I also argue that there would still be betting- be it betting overseas via the internet or through illegal bookmakers- and therefore darker and less noble temptations for participants would still be lurking. I would love to be proven wrong by the racing hierachy on their incapability to take meaningful action. However, the fact Hines knew about D.Oliver's bet and said nothing, compared to the fuss around Smerdon getting busted, makes it seem like Smerdons fine was as much a media stunt to please the public and stakeholders and make it seem like they were on top illegal activities. I went through the histories as a pointer, perhaps, to the future. Again, Justin, thankyou for your comment. I realise I am quite sceptical, but I think that there is worse yet to come and money will be at the heart of it. I look forward to your article on jockeys placing bets.
Justin Cinque
Expert
Matt having an opinion is fantastic and in this trying time for horse racing there are plenty of people who want to have their say on the sport and that's important but let's get some facts straight. In 95% of cases there is no profit to be made from horse racing - from gambling and owning horses. Gambling money may help provide for prize money but there would not be a sport of horse racing without the horses. And the horses are expensive and they all have owners. Owners (except for the sheiks and Tinklers who run breeding operations) don't race horses to make money, they race horses for the love of the animal and the sport - for the thrill. There isn't enough money in horse racing for thoroughbred ownership to be about profit. Jumps racing doesn't exist for profit. The main function of Australian jumps racing, especially, in the 21st century, is to give horses too slow and too old for flat racing an extended career in racing. There is more certainty in the life of a racehorse than there is for a retired thoroughbred, so that is why many owners support jumps racing. There isn't good money in jumps racing and no-one bets on it. Financially, it does nothing for racing. And that's a main reason why its continued existence, in light of all the deaths, is highly contentious in racing circles. I should also point out that, contrary to popular belief, horse racing would exist without gambling just as it does in jurisdictions where gambling is illegal like in Dubai (which hosts the world's richest race meeting each year) and India. If gambling was removed from Australian horse racing, racing would continue to survive because it is the owners that are required for horse racing to occur. The gambling only determines how much the owners race for. And that gambling-reliant business plan that racing thrives on is just that - a business plan. The Herald Sun may well be correct about the side-effects of EPO but their expose on "widespread use of EPO in horse racing" is largely unsubstantiated. RVL and HRV say they do plenty of testing for EPO and they maintain that isn't a problem in the sport. At this stage, considering they have implemented plans and have statistics to say those plans are working, they are probably more believable than the HS report. Of course, the HS may reveal more information that proves RVL and HRV wrong. Jockeys betting on horse racing may well be widespread and this is unacceptable and I will be writing an article about it. But your claim that "I cannot see anything but token efforts to reform the sport in the near future" seems to be slightly misguided considering that RVL's integrity officers were the reason the likes of Smerdon and Schofield were caught for treating their horses on Spring Carnival racedays. All RVL talk about is ensuring racing in Victoria is of the highest integrity. And they are trying, even if some of their decisions are questionable.
Matt Simpson
Roar Guru
That is a terrible story Heff. Too often horses are the victim of greed. According to the Herald Sun report, horses doped with EPO would die later because after doping finished, their bodies could not replace the lost blood cells they gained artificially. Jumps racing is also putting these great animals at unnecessary risk for nothing but profit (I understand there are serious issues with training of teh horses and the design of the jumps). Also for your father, who would have of course become attached to the horses and the sport (as all owners do) only to be esposed to something so hideous. Unfortunately, I cannot see anything but token efforts to reform the sport in the near future.
Australian Rules
Guest
"A fool and his money is easily departed." Surely this is the new high-watermark for ironic comments on the Roar?
Heff
Guest
I'm glad to see an article of this nature and more of the same across the media is welcome to expose racing for what it really is. The damage these activities place on racing hasn't really been quantified but from a personal perspective I can tell you coming from horse racing mad parents, the sport lost me years ago, and has never won me back. My father owned many horses in his time and was lucky enough to have 2 good ones. One of them was a multiple Group 1 race winner, including wins in the Villiers, George Main Stakes and a second in the Cox plate. This horse brought great joy to my parents and after a massive win in a race in Perth setting a new track record, the following week prior to it's next race the horse was poisoned. We heard later how it happened and received reports as to who was behind it. I can't even mention how many stories I've heard since of this nature as well as the forementioned issues listed in this column. For mine, this sort of stuff is killing racing and will continue to do so unless major changes happen to overhaul the sport. In the meantime though, I'll just stick to my once a year stab at the race that stops the nation and continue my 20 year absence from the track....
Matt Simpson
Roar Guru
Thanks for the comment Christo. Do you think a bit of the problem with sport journalists is that racing is only relevant at carnival time (in Victoria, Spring Carnival, for example) whereas, relatively, there isnt really enough interest year round from the general public to make a worthwhile story? I also agree with your comment about other sports- perhaps people where happy to have racing and gambling in the same lot as long as thats where they stayed, leaving the other sports alone.
Matt Simpson
Roar Guru
Thanks for the comment. I think, however, that problem gamblers will bet even if they know the race is dirty. Most people have a bet at spring carnival, but it is those that are chasing their losses which keep the industry going all year round.
BigAl
Guest
Precisely ! - the reason that it exists is not because people like to see beautiful animals running fast, it exists because you can gamble on it.
Christo the Daddyo
Guest
It's amazing that so many people (including most sports journos) decry the influence of gambling in sport. Yet the very same people don't blink an eye at the racing industry - a 'sport' (and I really hesitate to use that term) that without gambling would cease to exist instantly. Just bizarre.
oikee
Guest
If you think it is clean, dont do anything, keep enjoying and supporting the sport of kings. The other option is to walk away. Dont watch, dont bet, dont support. Go out have a meal or spend your hard-earned on some nice looking art. A fool and his money is easily departed.
Simmo Green
Guest
Simmo Green
Guest
Very telling and relevant article. The great irony here is that the media creates a moral frenzy over Lance Armstrong, without having even a basic unrstanding of bike racing, yet consistently downplays the depth of criminality and corruption in horse racing, harness and greyhounds. Don't think Armstrong ever cost a punter his shirt
The Kebab Connoisseur
Guest
Never ceases to amaze me that people just assume racing is 'clean'.