Racing Victoria must punish jockeys who place illegal bets

On Tuesday, Racing Victoria incompetently issued three fines to jockeys for placing bets on horse racing.

Each jockey received a $1,000 fine and allowed to continue riding with a tickle on the wrist.

On February 14, Fairfax Media revealed bets made by top grade jockeys Michelle Payne, Michael Walker and country jockey Anthony Darmanin. Each had placed bets via online accounts on horse racing, an act which is strictly prohibited for jockeys in Australia.

It’s been a horrendous six months for Australian sport following allegations of race fixing coupled with the Australian Crime Commission’s report of widespread illegal activity among Australian sport.

The ACC’s report came after internationally recognised hoop Damien Oliver was suspended for ten months after betting on a horse in a race he rode in.

The $1,000 fines to Payne, Walker and Darmanin contradict everything about the integrity of sport which Racing Victoria has been preaching for the past twelve months.

It was just four months ago that Racing Victoria chairman Michael Duffy delivered a prepared statement claiming he would have “zero tolerance” to jockeys who breached the rules of betting.

In a sport so heavily driven by gambling revenue, the miniscule fines issued seriously question whether Racing Victoria have the courage to stamp out behaviour considered detrimental to the integrity of the sport.

Payne and Darmanin’s bets were combined with other sports in multi-bets but this still breached the Australian Rule of Racing, a code applied to all jockeys. Walker’s bets were placed only on horse racing.

Payne’s and one of Walker’s racing bets were on overseas racing but code 83C prohibits betting on any form of thoroughbred racing.

It was also revealed that the total value of the three jockey’s bets equalled no more than $600 compared to Oliver’s $10,000 bet.

In matters which relate to inappropriate gambling, there are no excuses for gambling on horse racing. It doesn’t matter the value of the wager, the value of the winnings, the reason behind the bet or who it was made through.

It’s black and white. Either a bet was placed or it was not.

In all the above cases, jockeys placed bets when they should not have.

All four riders took responsibility for their actions but comments by Michael Walker were the most concerning.

Walker, who placed bets in 2011, the same time he moved from New Zealand to Australia made comments about being confused between Australians racing rules and New Zealand racing rules.

In New Zealand, jockeys are allowed to place bets with the authorised betting agents but only on horses they are riding.

Although something about that may not sound right at first glance, there are measures in place which negate corrupt activity. Most notably, it ensures jockeys will give their mount every chance of winning if they have money on themselves.

Walker’s bets on races held in Stawell, Moonee Valley and Morphettville were dumbfounding based on the fact that he was not riding in any of them.

Any alleged confusion between Australian racing rules and New Zealand racing rules can be better surmised as idiocy.

Payne, Walker and Darmanin received much lighter penalties than Oliver who placed a considerably larger wager on a race he was actually riding.

Nevertheless, the fact remains all jockeys breached the same rule by merely placing once cent on horse racing.

Prior to last year’s spring carnival, Sydney based jockey’s Blake Shinn and Peter Robl were handed 15 and 12 month suspensions respectively for wagering on races through the accounts of Shinn’s mother and Robl’s wife.

Bets of up to $2,500 were recorded on races which the jockey’s were riding in. Shinn later had his suspension downgraded to 12 months on appeal.

Robl’s wife and Shinn’s mother were each fined $7,500 for their roles.

The handling of Damien Oliver by Racing Victoria screams of fear and indecisiveness, especially when dealing with such a high profile figure within the industry.

The most baffling aspect of the Oliver suspension is the fact that he was issued his suspension at the conclusion of the 2012 Melbourne spring racing carnival, despite Racing Victoria knowing of his betting activity since the beginning of the carnival.

By allowing him to ride the carnival in which he won the VRC Derby and several other big races, Oliver earned a big enough pay check to holiday his entire suspension with no worries.

The best thing about his ten month suspension is he will be back riding by next spring racing carnival!

By comparison, the punishments handed down to Payne, Walker and Darmanin are farcical, yet come from the same authority who not long ago claimed zero tolerance to jockeys who bet.