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Hi Sean, welcome to the Forum
I think it’s to do with the French regulations when a first test is positive. Apparently, they try to give the person concerned every chance to be present, or to have a representative present, when the second sample is tested. For the last few months, Fallon has been able to argue (fairly convincingly) that he needed to be in London every day, as did all the legal types he might trust to go to the second test on his behalf.
Can’t argue that now, though, and they do have a cut-off point in the rules. Not sure exactly when it is, but it must be approaching rapidly, if not passed already. The result should therefore be known pretty soon.
Following recent events, which have thrust racing into the spotlight for what many of us consider the wrong reasons, there are questions which I know many people don’t think have been fully answered.
I am absolutely delighted to report that members of The Racing Forum will have a unique and unparallelled opportunity to put forward their questions and concerns directly to the <b>British Horseracing Authority</b>. The BHA have agreed to a proposal I made to them asking whether they would consider responding directly to questions posed by forum members.
The format this will take is that you simply post your questions on this thread and I will then forward these onto the BHA who will then respond to each query, with their reponses being posted in due course.
As far as I know this is the first time such an event has occurred, certainly in the UK, and I am proud that the BHA has considered our forum a fitting place for such a debate.
Accordingly I would like to ask that people frame their questions in a respectful manner.
I’ll close the topic on Wednesday and send the Q’s to the BHA at that point.
Fantastic cormack well done.
My question. Is anything being done to ensure races are run over the correct distances and any changes to the distance be declared at the overnight stage. My understanding is currently a NH races has to be within 110 yards of the advertised distance.
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Corm
You have every right to be proud!
The foremost racing forum has a chance to ask the organ grinders about their monkey: let’s hope that they can be as candid with us as we are with them?Great stuff Corm, well done.
I can’t think of anything to ask but I am sure there will be far more intelligent questions than I could pose from the forumites.
Mike
I would like to see compulsary drug testing of any jockey who has failed a drug test in the past.
Could this be done before and after every meeting for a period of at least 6 months by the course doctor and a fee to cover the costs paid by the offenders?
If a jockey offends a second time knowing he was going to be tested, he would be showing a blatant disregard of the rules of racing and should then be banned for life.
The it was neccessary the jockey could easily report a few days beforehand the which meeting he will be riding at.
It may even be an idea to inflate the fees in the form of a fine and any excess paid into a fund to assist any young jockeys, caught up in drugs, who were starting out in their careers.
I can think of no reason why it can’t be set up properly it could see the end of drug abuse in racing once and for all. The offending Jockeys could of course be given a choice. Join the programme ot simply don’t ride again.
That may sound severe but IMO the BPA must take a very stricter view on drug abuse.
Today the Micthell Report in the USA announced the names of 75 major league players who had bought or taken banned substances. IMO if the BHA does not act and act swiftly it won’t be long until they find themselves in a similar sutuation.
With credit (and apologies) to indocine, who brought this point up on here recently (https://theracingforum.co.uk/forum/v … hp?t=70612):
Given that the BHA’s handicapping team calculates and records peformance ratings for every run of every horse, is it possible to make these ratings publically and freely available, and are there any plans to do so?
Please note that this question pertains to the individual ratings calculated for each horse in each race, and not simply the Official Rating of the horse as it is adjusted throughout his career, which is already available through updates on the BHA site and through the Racing Post’s online database.
Thanks in advance.
I think that the decision regarding non starters in National Hunt racing needs to be changed as illustated by the race at Taunton recently when Rude Health was declared a runner even though the horse did not start and never looked like doing so. This gives racing a bad image when punters lose ther money in these circumstances.
Are there any plans to review the procedure for declaring horses non runners in the National Hunt racing?
Following recent events, which have thrust racing into the spotlight for what many of us consider the wrong reasons, there are questions which I know many people don’t think have been fully answered.
Does this mean that questions should focus solely on matters arising from the outcome of the "Fallon Trial" or are we at liberty to submit anything racing-related?
I was thinking that people would have specific questions about the BHA’s role in the events around the recent trial. However, what I will do is send all the questions that arise to them and separate those pertaining to the trial. I did intimate in my proposal to them that it was issues concerning the trial that I felt people would like to have questions answered on but I am sure they will be happy to perhaps respond on wider issues, within reason.
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QUESTION
In view of the judge’s summing up in the recent trial:
Justice Forbes ruled that, without demostrating any breach of rule 157, the other evidence “was almost entirely consistent with the normal social interchange between the parties and or the innocent, ie. non-criminal, transmission of racing tips or information by jockeys.
can we now take it that the BHA will now focus their efforts on racing’s real integrity problems, rather than concentrating their time and our money on pursuing what most regard as innocuous?
Thank you both for the welcome and for the replies!
The same question is discussed on the other thread. If, as so many in the media seemed to assume before the trial, KF had been sent to the calaboose, then I suppose the B Sample test would never have taken place, or, at least, would have been delayed by x number of months.
Sean Rua.
What is the annual cost of the integrity and security services, and how does it compare with the amount spent on the same things ten years ago?
And where does the money come from ?
AP
I’ve included a few of my observations and suggestions. I suppose some of them relate to the HRA more than the BHB, maybe they will get passed on or read here….
Integrity – Despite the trial the BHB deserve great credit for the progress made in this field in the last few years. Improvements I’d like to see
Non triers – Horses and connections found in breach of the non triers rule be given the maximum fine and penalties (15000 pounds to the trainer, 42 days for the jockey and 40 days for the horse) available to the stewards in all cases. Fines for owners also considered. Tougher sanctions for repeat offenders.
Powers of referral – If not already available the disciplinary panel should have the power to investigate cases not necessarily referred by the stewards by which on reflection may warrant further investigation ( a bit like the referee overruling the umpire in football)
Betting – Owners to be banned from betting on the betting exchanges on any horse except their own in any race in which they have a runner.
Stewards Enquiries – Videoed and the proceedings stored for a predetermined amount of time and made publicly available in races of controversial circumstance.
Closed circuit television cameras – If not already available cameras to be installed on or in the region of the starting stalls to enable accurate determination of how the horse and rider have exited the stalls at race start.
Self regulation – The collapse of the recent trial should make self regulation to the highest standards of integrity, decency and fairness a priority.
Promotion of the sportIn my opinion an area of serious underperformance. The HRA and BHB websites are a monument to grey. Go to the PGA Tour golf website (http://www.pgatour.com) for an example of what a proper sports promotional website should look like. Coverage could include bios and info on jockeys, trainers, various industry employees, breeding, 3D maps of all the raccourses, stats, video footage, behind the scenes, famous horses and races, historical data and stories on the horses and characters of a sport that is centuries old, the possibilites are endless. The Goodolphin website is another good example.
Coverage of an epic sporting duel (flat jockeys championship) received 9 lines of coverage in a black and white BHB press release. No terrestrial television coverage of the presentation ceremony and on ATR we got pictures and no sound. Would this happen in Formula 1?
What about a TV advertising campaign. All the channels that regularly feature horseracing do great and emotive promo sections to music varying from classical to hard rock. What not harness some of that talent and advertise the sport properly on our TV screens.
From my viewpoint it seems the HRA leave most of the promotion to newspapers or TV stations. That should cease to be the case. If the levy is to be the vehicle of funding for the foreseeable future then the HRA really needs to get act its together quickly. The Premier and Champions League are increasingly where its at for punters these days.
Funding
The companies and particularly breeding operations who benefit massively from UK horseracing should be required to put more back into the sport in the form of race sponsorship. An example is Coolmore who earn hundreds of millions from the stallions they "make" on UK racecourses yet they sponsored just 2 races in the UK during the entire flat season just gone by. ( The Nunthorpe and a maiden at Windsor)
Information for punters
A dedicated website updated by a set time the evening before racing with information on rail movement, the extent and location of all watering for the previous 4 – 5 days. The Clerk of the Course to update said website 1 hour before racing with a standard format going report and details of any additional watering or amendments to rail movement or stall position included.
Sectional timing – The model now in use at the all weather tracks is simple and effective. It should be rolled out across at least all the Flat racecourses by the start of the 2009 season at the latest.
Flat Jockey’s Championship
Leave how its decided alone, it works! Should Manchester United only get 1 point when beating Derby County?
Old course at Cheltenham
Do something about the 2nd last fence as a matter of urgency, its only a matter of time before it raises its ugly head again and racing will be splashed over the newspapers for all the wrong reasons once more.
Clashes of Race Times
Delays to advertised off times are unavoidable. When this does happen put in place a set procedure whereby the other relevant courses are notified and clashes are avoided. Its usually no more than an adjustment of a few minutes and should be easily accomplished. Its pis*ing off punters and reducing your levy return unnecessarily.
Respect for Racings Traditions
Coupled with the importance of moving forward please respect the sports great traditions. I sincerely hope the bulldozing of Haydock’s drop fences is not a precedent for the "development" of the UK’s uniquely varied and character laden racecourses.
Thank You.
My question is this….
Given that it seems to be nigh-on impossible to prove beyond reasonable doubt that a jockey has deliberately stopped a horse, is it now inevitable that Horse Racing will become (an even bigger) target for organised crime?
I have just read this on the Betfair forum and I think it sums up the huge problems Horse Racing faces with integrity going forward very succinctly.
Recent events have shown that it’s easier to convict an innocent man of murder in this country than it is to convict a trainer or jockey of fixing a race.
As far as I can make out, a well organised group of punters could easily lay a short priced favourite to win 5 (or even 6) figure sums on a betting exchange and organise a jockey to stop the said horse. No mobile phones, no text messages, no evidence, perhaps not even much of a suspicious betting pattern if the race was high profile enough and had plenty of liquidity.
Just a quiet word amongst friends behind closed doors – job done. Slowly away, blindfold got stuck, horse gurgled etc etc.
The chances of the HRA and or the Police gaining a conviction if this happened? Virtually zero.
In fact, what chance the police even take on a high profile case again?
1. The trakus system http://www.trakus.com is being introduced in USA and apart from providing a real service to racegoers, provides a major integrity boon for identifying non-triers. It provides data on the speed, position and distance run for every horse in the race. Such numerical evidence would stand up in Court, whilst any qualitative opinion would not likely convince beyond reasonable doubt. It would cost UK far less than the abortive fees that have been involved, without success, to date. Will BHA introduce this to UK asap?
2. Will BHA consider establishing a permanent communication channel to racing forums such as TRF. Timely views and positive suggestions can be provided at any time but until now a proper communication link is missing. Too often in the past only the narrow and parochial needs of trainers and jockeys have ever been considered, whilst the needs and views of the funding racegoer and punter have been ignored. We can all work together to better racing.
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