MY CALL: COMING TO GRIPS WITH THE RACING INTEGRITY COMMISSION. ITS A NEW BALL GAME NOW

By David Fowler | Tuesday, August 1, 2017

David Fowler, with an extensive background in trotting, examines the QRIC “match fixing scenario” and its associated significance to the racing industry as a whole. David's blog 'My Call' appears exclusively on horseracingonly

The trots is getting an unfair rap over the “match fixing” arrests.

Make no mistake, a similar situation could easily hit thoroughbred racing if a whistleblower happens to tap in the Crimestoppers number.

Granted, trotting has had a tenuous grip on any high moral ground for sometime.

I make no apologies for that statement.

Its weakened state heralds from sins of the past when a powerful few manipulated the betting machinery of the business. Pick your state.

Thoroughbred racing can absorb its crooks because of its size and diversity.

In contrast, the little pond of trotting was left looking like a deer in the headlights when the corrupters were either caught or moved on.

This was a seventies and eighties thing and the business has never seriously recovered to wear any badge of honour.

Punters have long memories and unforgiving ones.

But present participants are more likely to pull up a weed in their backyard than pull up one of their horses.

Even if you’re a “fair dinkum” form student and trying to lay a key fancy on Betfair, see how much you get matched for.

But the environment of trot bashing was created a long time before the “match fixing” bombshell was launched by QRIC in April.

On cue, all the emotive words got their run…arrests, charges, race fixing cartels etc etc.

And, just as on cue, the run-of-the-mill punter shakes his or her head sagely … ah “the old red hots” … no surprise there.

Hark back to April when the first two arrests were made, the mood created was intentionally marked volatile.

“More arrests to come in days and weeks,” they thundered. There has been one in the subsequent four months, a licencee who neither trains or drives.

I know the trio. Know them well. I described on radio the thought of one of them being arrested as akin to a “200-1 chance winning the Melbourne Cup”

Let me blunt. These charges by the letter of the law are likely to be correct.

But, as a racing enthusiast, you will be amazed when the full details of the “crimes” are released. Underwhelmed is the first word that comes to mind.

And, maybe, the trot bashers might be heard to remark “how can you be pinched for that ?”

Not just pinched, jailed.

See it’s a different ball game now. A new picture show has arrived in town.

There’s a number to ring, a sympathetic ear and a whole different and uglier set of rules to use.

And I’m not saying that is a bad thing either. There is an avenue to bell the cat on serious corruption.

The ultimate determinations of these cases will be keenly watched. They will be watershed moments in racing history.

What I am saying to the thoroughbred world, it will arrive on your doorstep sooner than later.

David Fowler