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Racing will be unaffected by yesterdays proceedings.
The history of racing has been littered with scandal. 4 year olds winning the Derby, countless dopings, jockeys warned off, trainers warned off, owners warned off, horses being switched, bookies taking bets on non-existent race meetings, bookies disappearing into the Epsom ether, etc, etc.
The sport has carried on regardless and remains in a relatively strong position today with a fantastic future potentially ahead of it.
Yesterday’s proceedings will be but a ripple on the pond outwith the insular and incestuous racing community. It won’t change the general public’s perceptions of racing which, in my experience, is of a slightly dodgy sport where ‘the bookie always wins’. In fact, I think people are actually attracted to racing because of the slightly dangerous and risque character it has constructed for itself over the centuries.
Aren’t they?
I don’t think so cormack.
I think this is the clearest signal to would be criminals that they are no offers to get away with any wrongdoing involving the stopping of horses for financial gain.
I’m not making any suggestion that any of the people involved in this were guilty, but for the Police to have spent so much money on this case and for it to finish in this way has huge implications for the integrity of the sport going forward. What racing needed was a case whereby some of the bad apples that do exist (again – no suggestion as to who these actually are) were rooted out and dealt with in a criminal court. This would have sent a clear message that Racing isnta soft target for crime.
I am very disappointed that all of the reaction I have heard so far has been about how great this decision is for Racing. It isn’t – it is the start of the sport self destructing imo.
“What racing needed was a case whereby some of the bad apples that do exist (again – no suggestion as to who these actually are) were rooted out and dealt with in a criminal court. “
Is there actually any clear evidence that these bad apples actually exist and that, if they do, they are actually making large amounts of money from manipulating races?
Will it though?
Fallon and Lynch both displayed blatant disregard for the HRA’s rules on mobile phones and betting (the former being Fallon and the latter Lynch). Thankfully for racing’s PR this will more than likely be brushed over.
Where there is money to be made, be it from betting or in other ways, someone will always seek to take advantage, by means fair or foul. In the sporting arena, horse racing is hardly unique in this context – football, cricket, tennis, etc., all come under suspicion. This may be of concern for the governing body of any given sport but, in the long run, does Joe Public give a fig? Will the attendance for next year’s Epsom Derby suffer as a result of this court case? Will crowds at Wimbledon or the 2012 Olympics be diminished by public apathy engendered by betting or doping scandals?
The answer is no. If serious attempts to defraud those who wish to engage in betting or sporting competition are uncovered and proven, then such cases should be dealt with by the relevant authorities. Of more concern to me here, however, is the large amount of public money spent on the trial of Fallon, et al. How can this be justified for what is, in the grand scheme, a minority sport?I think it is probably true that racing will be largely unaffected in the short term, but it is much less clear for the longer term.
There are quite a few signs appearing which suggest that racing is losing the battle, amid the increased competition, for the leisure pound. I am thinking of difficulties in big race sponsorship, reduced crowds at weekday meetings, lesser media coverage etc. Sponsorship is probably the key, if a brand is tarnished, the major sponsors will stay away, there are exceptions of course, but big companies prefer ‘safe’ associations.
Many would say that the big race meetings will ‘always’ be well attended and well funded, that may be the case to some extent, but the problem is that they alone are insufficient to support the industry, at least at anything like current levels.
Although ‘we’ look upon amateurish administration and dubious practices as, in a sense, quaint and charming it is not a view that is held in other parts of the world, and the relentless trend is towards a global economy. Those in this country who derive a living from racing should be far from complacent, market share, once lost, is very difficult and painful to reestablish.
Just my pennyworth.
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“What racing needed was a case whereby some of the bad apples that do exist (again – no suggestion as to who these actually are) were rooted out and dealt with in a criminal court. “Why do think 13 jockeys have had their licences removed cormack?
Ah, so we can quite confidently make a suggestion as to the identities of those bad apples then. Is the issue that we require a criminal conviction? If so, why? Surely the ultimate deterrent for a jockey/trainer is the removal of their livelihood?
cormack, if you believe anything I say on here then please believe me there are criminals riding horses.
As stated on another thread I witnessed first hand transactions between one of the accused, his "driver" and a bookmaker. The jockey had a few bets during a meeting including one against his own mount which was favorite. His horse was slow away, found trouble in running and lost its chance in the race.
Racing needs a criminal conviction against a jockey and his associates to act as a deterrent. Without this organised criminals will have an open goal.
“As stated on another thread I witnessed first hand transactions between one of the accused, his “driver” and a bookmaker”
So were you involved Wallace, or where the accused so careful that they carried out their transactions in front of anyone?
Or maybe they carried out their transactions in front of anyone because they weren’t doing anything wrong perhaps.
I don’t disbelieve you Wallace, I’m just curious.
Mike
Agreed Wallace, but try convincing the "See no evil, hear no evil" inner circle of Racing of that…
In many ways the sport will deserve its own inevitable fate.
Sponsorship is probably the key, if a brand is tarnished, the major sponsors will stay away, there are exceptions of course, but big companies prefer ‘safe’ associations.
And in the use of that simple little word ‘brand’ you have, to my mind, hit a good many of the nails that are racing’s problems squarely on the head. Once an industry has been infiltrated by the ‘marketing gurus’, who regurgitate a mantra that has been drummed into them at the nation’s finest polytechnics (universities my a**e) then the lunatics have well and truly taken over the asylum. As in so many other cases, horse racing is not a ‘product’, it is not a tin of baked beans, a shoe, or a widget, it is a unique experience or adventure and should be dealt with as such and cherished by all participants.
Scallywag – UK horse racing is very much a ‘brand’ and in today’s marketplace the most successful brands are those that market themselves most effectively. To suggest otherwise is nonsense.
TDK and Wallace – I share your concerns about racing, about what maybe going on within it and for the future. I’m just probing to get at the facts and to clarify the reality of the situation. It’s all very well saying that this and that goes on but where is the evidence? While racing rules may be being broken and there may be evidence to support that the laws of the land are a different matter. It seems that the authorities are unable to find enough evidence to justify a crminal case, never mind a conviction, which begs the question as to whether any such hard evidence exists. (I accept what you are saying Wallace regarding your first hand experience).
Scallywag – UK horse racing is very much a ‘brand’ and in today’s marketplace the most successful brands are those that market themselves most effectively. To suggest otherwise is nonsense.
That maybe your opinion but speaking from personal experience, the narrow-minded promotion of marketing mantras that render everything down to a lowest common denominator, by those who have no practical experience in or understanding of the arena in which they are operating, is prone to diverting thought, time and money away from dealing with core roots and principles. If you think that doesn’t apply here, just take some time out to think about the avenue that horse racing has been steered down by those obsessed with ‘brand’. Quite a mess, in my opinion, from whichever side of the fence of you happen to sit on and one that won’t be solved by spending an afternoon sticking yellow post-it notes on the wall.
I was working the bookmaker on the day as I did previously on a casual basis but never again. I was party to the conversations.
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