Fallon: A Knack for Trouble
Jockey Kieren Fallon may be an inspired rider, but he’s also reticent, willful, possessed of a temper, and has been treated for alcohol problems. Ok then, “So the man needs an image counsellor, but is he a criminal?” (The Guardian)
If a Race Is Fixed …
Does a punter care? Maybe not. “In all the bluster about the end of racing, this fact has been ignored: insider dealing aids the simple punter as often as it hinders him. If you are a pin-sticker, whether or not a race is fixed does not affect your chances of picking a winner. It is yet another unpredictable factor in an alphabet soup of unpredictable factors.” (The Guardian)
More on British Racing Scandal
The BBC breaks down the race fixing allegations against jockey Kieren Fallon and 15 others.
Some bettors aren’t too concerned about the accusations. “The general feeling was that the allegations were nothing new. ‘Everybody knows races are fixed,’ said Mr Daniels. ‘That’s part of the game, part of the allure. There might be ‘shock, horror!’ in the rest of society but to punters it’s more ‘tell us something we don’t know’. It’s like telling a 14-year-old that Santa doesn’t exist.'” (The Independent)
Fallon says, “I’ve been treated like a terrorist.” (The Guardian)
British Racing Scandal Breaks
In raids across the UK early Wednesday morning, police arrested 16 people — including six-time champion jockey Kieren Fallon — for allegedly fixing 80 races. (The Guardian)
More: “Racing in crisis after Fallon arrested” (The Independent); “Fixing racing’s biggest problem” (BBC); “Solicitors expect Fallon to be cleared” (Racing Post).
280-1 Shot Wins, Sparking Investigation
A longshot’s win at Nottingham on Monday cost British bookmakers £500,000. The large payout to bettors on the horse, a two-year-old gelding named Exponential who lost his last race by 17 lengths yet showed dramatically improved form in Monday’s race, caught the attention of the Jockey Club, which has opened an investigation. Exponential’s trainer Stuart Williams is unconcerned with all the fuss, saying, “I think it was a question of some punters spotting good value for money.” (The Independent)
A Blasphemous Scheme?
Aiming to increase tourism in Israel, the Israeli government announced on July 26 plans to build two racecourses in the north and south of the country. But Yael Zisling Adar, writing in Israel Insider, wonders, “Is horseracing the new Zionist dream?”
Jockey Investigated for Non-Triers
British jockey Gary Carter faces allegations that he rode “eight non-triers” last year (Racing Post).
Savill’s Legacy
Fearing increased corruption in racing brought on by online gaming sites, the recently retired British Horseracing Board chairman Peter Savill proposed a “banding system” over the weekend, which “would create different divisions of horse racing — with prize money depreciating significantly in the lower divisions.” Said Savill, “The issue is largely about the betting exchanges. I’m fundamentally opposed to the concept of betting exchanges because I think sport is about winning. To have people cheering on a racecourse because a horse is getting beaten is anathema to the whole concept of what sport is about” (Online Casino News). It’s Savill’s attitude to the betting exchanges that will determine his legacy, writes J.A. McGrath in London’s The Telegraph: “In the short term, Peter Savill will be remembered as the chairman who took racing to a level of prosperity it deserved, and he should be thanked for that. But it will be how betting exchanges develop from this point — and how that development affects racing — that will determine whether Savill was truly a man with vision.”
Needed: Young Bettors
Saying the “current customer pool had just about reached its betting limit,” New Zealand racing board chairman Warren Larsen told delegates to the New Zealand Thoroughbred Racing annual meeting that racing needs young fans and it needs them now. No surprise — young people surveyed by the board expressed distaste for the seedy atmosphere of betting outlets, an irritation at the lack of information on betting, and wanted to see better food service and improved facilities (Otago Daily Times).
Comment: It’s not just the youth of New Zealand who feel this way. I think of the amenities at Suffolk, and other tracks I’ve visited recently, such as Belmont and Bay Meadows, and what comes to mind is the cavernous concrete architecture and the sad little concession stands dominated by hot dogs and cheap beer of each. Ok, the hot dogs aren’t bad … but it would be wonderful to see improvements in the form of better food and more choices and a nicer environment in which to eat and drink, and why not get a franchise or two to set up shop in the grandstand? There have been so many afternoons where I’ve longed to sip a Frappuccino while perusing that day’s Form.
A Yankee at Ascot
“Monsieur Bond catches my eye, not enough to guarantee a bet, but enough to look closely at a stray note in the form guide — ‘Has enough class, but a little rain might help.’ Apparently, his père was a mudder, and his mère was a mudder. As if on cue, dark clouds roll in, and it starts to drizzle. Ah, a sign from M (or perhaps Q)! A tenner to win on Le 007 and spread bets on the other two” (Slate).
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Jessica Chapel writes and edits in Massachusetts. Railbird is a Thoroughbred horse racing blog published from June 2004 to July 2019. More / Contact
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