Has the sport of kings gone to the dogs? Mar 10 2004

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Echo Expert Mike Torpey Looks At The Crisis Facing Horse Racing

IT'S just four weeks until the world's greatest steeplechase, the Martell Cognac Grand National, comes to town.

before the bookies even think about heading north, they'll have the racing world's showpiece event, the three-day Cheltenham Festival, to deal with.

Millions of pounds will be wagered from modest 20 pence each-way doubles and trebles in the betting shop to massive punts from the professionals on supposed 'good things' like dual Gold Cup hero Best Mate.

The Martell Cognac Grand National alone is expected to see something close to £200minvested in bets. We're talking serious lolly here, and with tax-free betting now into its third year the bookmakers predict turnover on April 3 could topple all previous records.

But if recent events are to be believed, the Sport of Kings is riddled with skullduggery, rotten to the core.

What are the once-a-year punters who will pack the country's 8,000 betting offices on National day supposed to make of racing's so-called crisis?

Will they just be blowing their hard-earned cash on races that have already been 'sorted'? - and amI wasting my time slaving over the formbook?

Everyone will by now have seen or at least read about Kieren Fallon's misjudgement aboard a horse called Ballinger Ridge at Lingfield last Tuesday.

The champion jockey was subsequently hit with a 21-day ban for failing to ride out for first place after holding what looked an unassailable lead in the final straight.

Dodgy or what?

More serious is that the matter has been referred to the Jockey Club as unusual betting patterns were reported beforehand by exchange firmBetfair.

And with the Fallon debacle retaining its national news profile thanks to his unseemly fracas with photographers at Stansted airport, racing's sceptics were given even more ammo courtesy of little known jump jockey Sean Fox at humble Fontwell.

As our picture strip reveals, the 32-year-old rider "stepped off" the grey Ice Saint as the horse appeared to clear a fence and land comfortably. Once again, people had backed it to lose.

One on-course bookmaker was even quoted as having received a phone call asking: "Is Fox still on Ice Saint?" When he said he was, the caller allegedly responded: "Well, he won't be in a minute!"

Fox's punishment: You guessed, a 21-day suspension.

If these two incidents weren't enough to suggest that some elements of the sport aren't operating on completely straight terms, the Jockey Club itself added fuel to the fire by announcing that Lancashire trainer Alan Berry was being charged over the the running of Hillside Girl at Carlisle last June.

Three others, farrier Steve O'Sullivan, jockey Paul Bradley and amateur rider Dale Jewett, are also "on the mat".

Berry's filly was pulled up lame after two furlongs in an auction race at the Cumbrian track, having drifted from odds-on to 21-1.

The four all face charges of laying the filly to lose, knowing or suspecting she was lame and there-fore couldn't win.

Common to all these cases has been something few outside of regular punting circles understand - the betting exchange.

This is an on-line medium where punters bet against each other, and have the option of backing (to win) or laying (to lose) a horse.

The exchange acts as a broker and takes out a commission for providing the service.

British Horseracing Board chairman Peter Savill is a fierce critic of the exchanges, though, and believes issues surrounding them are of "critical importance" to the industry.

He sees them as threatening the integrity of the sport and has said: "Betting exchanges have, for the first time ever, enfranchised 30 million plus people in Britain to make money out of horses losing races, though they are obliged to pass on information relating to unusual or suspicious betting patterns to the Jockey Club."

Nonetheless, racing's reputation is rooted at an all-time low.

But punters shouldn't feel too despondent. Of course there will always be cases of horses running over the wrong distance, on unsuitable ground and when far from fully fit.

Recognising this and noting it, getting to know how particular trainers operate and at what time of year they hit formis part of racing's fascination.

But the blatant stopping of horses is a completely different matter. The bad old days of being able to escape the eye of the camera have long gone. Local stewards are able to scrutinise every yard of every race, making malpractice all the more difficult to execute.

Simon Clare of bookmakers Coral said he hoped some positives could come out of the current situation and said: "It is vital that punters have confidence in racing's integrity.

"There has always been a cynicism that things go on - you only have to go into a betting shop to hear punters cursing jockeys for all manner of things.

"I think what is important is that the Jockey Club come down hard on anyone who commits an offence."

So the key to it all comes down to punishment. Never mind three weeks, if jockeys knew they were going to be out of action for six months or more - like they are in Australia - few would ever be banned in the first place . . . and the rest of us could happily go on losing money to the old enemy the other side of the counter.

At least it would be legit!

Source: IC Liverpool