CHAIRBOY Posted December 29, 2006 Share Posted December 29, 2006 The HRA has announced that jockeys Tony Culhane and Dean Mernagh have been charged in the on-going investigation into corruption. Both jockeys deny the charges. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bigwind Posted December 31, 2006 Share Posted December 31, 2006 The HRA has announced that jockeys Tony Culhane and Dean Mernagh have been charged in the on-going investigation into corruption. Both jockeys deny the charges. just goes to prove what we've all known for years ,horse racing is as bent as a 9 bob bit, but it never stops people putting their money down. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Heyesey Posted December 31, 2006 Share Posted December 31, 2006 just goes to prove what we've all known for years ,horse racing is as bent as a 9 bob bit I thought people were innocent unless convicted, not merely charged. Besides, if you actually knew anything whatsoever about the case, it'd be as clear to you as it is to everyone in racing that there's no hope at all of a conviction, because there isn't any reasonable case against them. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CHAIRBOY Posted December 31, 2006 Author Share Posted December 31, 2006 I think, in the fullness of time, there could certainly be some successful charges brought. Already, there must have been some breaches of regulations for Gary Carter, Shaun Keightley, Brian Reilly and Dean Williams to receive bans from the HRA. What takes it up to a police matter, I'm not quite sure but I think this time, they mean business. One or two unscrupulous individuals, bookmakers etc have already been 'warned off' and I think more will follow. Many suspect unscrupulous activities have gone on long before Betfair's arrival but proof has always been hard to come by. Now with the betting exchange paper trail allied to mobile phone records, this has opened up the can of worms. Some people are gullible, many are greedy, so one wouldn't be surprised at all if some convictions were to follow. The fact that trainer Mark Johnston sees fit to use "Always Trying" as his stable motto suggests he belives not all the horses from other yards are? Other trainers have mentioned before today that the handicapping system is geared to having to try and dupe the handicapper if one is to prosper. That said, I've heard that part of the sport's appeal for punters is trying to identify targets for horses and to work out when they're 'off' and when they're 'not'! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Heyesey Posted December 31, 2006 Share Posted December 31, 2006 The fact that trainer Mark Johnston sees fit to use "Always Trying" as his stable motto suggests he belives not all the horses from other yards are? That's on a par with calling Alex Ferguson a crook because he doesn't field his strongest possible XI for every single game Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CHAIRBOY Posted December 31, 2006 Author Share Posted December 31, 2006 That's on a par with calling Alex Ferguson a crook because he doesn't field his strongest possible XI for every single game The rule of racing is that every horse should run on its merits and be ridden out to the line, clearly many aren't. Football clubs playing weakened sides is frowned upon by myself, is disrespectful to sponsors and seems to have become an accepted 'norm' when it once resulted in a fine. When skullduggery in horseracing reaches the national news, I think many perceive there to be villains running round with syringes doping horses but If I may 'read' BIGWIND's mind, he is making the point that racing isn't as straight as people in authority may like it to be - hence the on-going investigations. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Heyesey Posted December 31, 2006 Share Posted December 31, 2006 The rule of racing is that every horse should run on its merits and be ridden out to the line WRONG! Anyone who knows what they're talking about want to have a go? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
happyhippy Posted January 1, 2007 Share Posted January 1, 2007 WRONG! Anyone who knows what they're talking about want to have a go? Certainly. You only have to look at how such trainers as Sir Mark Prescott, Luca Cumani, John Dunlop, to give but three examples have manipulated the rules to secure wins. I would also like to say legally, and transparently. All of the three trainers I mention have often sent 2 year old horses for 3 three runs in maidens to obtain a handicap mark. All of the three above trainers have done so knowing that there isn't a maiden race for 2 year olds over a mile in the calendar, they can secure a mark from which the horse could run up a sequence of wins, as a 3 year old, when upped in distance. By doing this, they get winning form for the stud/breeders, and/or land a gamble (trainers and staff can bet - jockeys can't.). All legal; all above board; the odds are also accordingly short, but the stud value could increase. If you're looking at valuable races below the top level (Listed and Group races, if not handicaps), trainers of talented horses on a certain ground will run their horses on ground which may not show the horse at its best. The Official Handicapper, however, has just the official result to go on. As such, for subsequent races, the horse will carry less weight. When the correct ground/distance turns up (the race at which the horse was aimed), the horse will have a better chance than before. Half the fun of gambling is to try to second guess trainers and get decent odds. All that being said, where there's gambling; there's fiddling. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
happyhippy Posted January 1, 2007 Share Posted January 1, 2007 The rule of racing is that every horse should run on its merits and be ridden out to the line, clearly many aren't. "He coughed in the back straight." "He didn't handle the quick fences." "I felt a twinge so pulled him up." "She has to be held up, and they went no pace." Perfect excuses; perfect reasons. The real problem is this. The races which are under investigation are run of the mill daily things, not valuable races; but the jockeys are very, very high profile. Nobody would blame any horseman for looking after a horse's welfare, but the jockeys are being seen to take a backhander in tinpot sellers and maidens. Millionaire jockeys at that. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CHAIRBOY Posted January 1, 2007 Author Share Posted January 1, 2007 Thanks HH for your submissions which I fully understand. eg smaller trainers reluctant to run second to one from a big yard in a maiden for fear of a high handicap mark. Perhaps I should have written "ridden to obtain its best possible placing". I beg to differ with Heyesey's claim about "not knowing what I'm talking about" and perhaps he could tell us what his take is on Mark Johnston using the appendage "Always Trying"? I didn't coin the phrase. I believe, in the fullness of time, there will be more people warned off and/or prosecuted. Offences are that, whether it be in a selling race or claimer and the HRA feel there is more than good reason to investigate. As you said: "Where there's gambling there's fiddling" and the HRA is endeavouring to get to the bottom of it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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