Attn: Anyone informed on HK racing

[MDeering]

In particular the South China Morning Post.

This is a real stab-in-the-dark question and I don’t expect a an answer, but I shall try regardless.

I have noticed only recently that Racing Editor Murray Bell’s profile has been removed from the SCMP Racing website.

His last articles were published only a month ago, so it seems he had returned to work again after time off.

Does anybody know if Murray has taken up a new business opportunity in HK or has moved at all? It just seems peculiar that he has departed so abruptly without any mention of it in the press.

I had a special bond with Murray over the past year as he mentored me in this weaning period of becoming a journalist. Regrettably I have not contacted him since February and planned to do so today.

[Adrian]

Sorry don’t know Murray’s current status. The last time I had lunch with him was in Singapore back in May. At that time he was still with SCMP but was also very busy organising owners syndicates – they had a runner on SAIC day in Singapore.

I’ll try and find out for you.

[MDeering]

Thanks Adrian.

Murray has a ton of interests in the industry – of which he is a brilliant mind in all of them – so it’s possible he wanted a fresh start and is a walk-up starter in any industry sector.

The other option is, he wants to raise his 1-year-old in his native land.

[Adrian]

I’m told that Murray has left SCMP (voluntarily) and is still working in Hong Kong but I’m not sure of the name of the company. I know it is racing related though and as I mentioned he does have his Singapore syndicates etc. Alan Aitken is currently looking for a new colleague at SCMP.

Murray is a top bloke – a real internationalist and I hope we’ve not lost his attendance at the big events.

[MDeering]

Is Murray contactable via e-mail?

[wit]

i’ve heard the same as adrian.

murray seems to be on facebook:

http://www.facebook.com/murray.bell03

best regards

wit

[MDeering]

Thanks Wit. I do not consider people of Murray’s umm … "experience" to frequent these networking sites, but I am trying in all my power to reach him.

Murray is truly one-of-a-kind for his intelligence and intuitiveness — and I do not mean to embarrass him — but what sets him apart from most is his selflessness and humility. Rare traits in this otherwise egotistic industry.

When everyone else (99.9%) probably binned my messages once realising they could not recognise the sender’s name, Murray wrote a novella as a response. He has given me priceless information about the industry and reined me in (or at least attempted to) "whilst my youthful exuberance threatened to overwhelm my talents." — His words.

Murray is one of very few allies I have in this industry as I did not seek to make too many contacts at Racenet (a miserable failure on my behalf), but he might just be the most powerful ally I will ever have.

I regret severing my ties with him back in February — all because I was too afraid to tell him I resigned from Racenet. I couldn’t care less how I felt, but I did not want to disappoint him. My self-centredness rings true.

Sorry for delving into a personal tale of mine. I guess Murray has had a pretty deep effect on my life.

[wit]

…I do not consider people of Murray’s umm … "experience" to frequent these networking sites, but I am trying in all my power to reach him.

i’m no expert on this kind of thing but take a look at the photo halfway down this page:

http://www.johnmeagherracing.com/news14.htm

and then tell me

a. that the bloke on the right doesn’t look like the Murray Bell on the facebook link (complete with toddler and racing friends)

http://www.facebook.com/murray.bell03

and

b. that the bloke in the middle doesn’t look like the John Bell still on the SCMP racing staff :

http://racing.scmp.com/freeservice/tipsterprofile.asp

(The scmp’s typical email format would make John Bell’s email SPOILEMAILHARVESTERjohn.bell@SPOILEMAIL … ERscmp.com)

best regards

wit

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