hobbes
19-06-2002, 08:02
Tuesday, June 18, 2002
RACING SEASON REVIEW
Jockey arrests in race-fixing probe cast long shadow 'It has had a negative impact around the world'
NICK PULFORD, Racing Editor
Never mind the sensational arrival of John Size or his epic battle with Ivan Allan for the trainers' championship, nor the brilliance of Douglas Whyte in retaining his jockeys' crown.
Never mind Electronic Unicorn's breathtaking gallop to Horse of the Year honours, nor the rising standard of racing exemplified by other top-liners such as Olympic Express, Industrial Pioneer and Firebolt.
Never mind the incredible Japanese world-beaters who took Sha Tin's international races by storm, nor the handicap-defying exploits of multiple winners Noble Boy and Darwin.
No, one headline-making story overshadowed these and all others during the 2001-02 season, and it was one which brought the worst possible exposure for racing. "Jockeys held in race-fix probe," blared the South China Morning Post's front page on February 8 following the arrests of Robbie Fradd, John Egan and 19 others as part of an Independent Commission Against Corruption investigation into alleged race-fixing and illegal bookmaking.
More than four months later, the case is still ongoing but no charges have been brought, leaving the two jockeys in limbo as they continue riding in South Africa and Britain respectively while under precautionary suspension in Hong Kong.
The high-profile case has not looked good for racing, admits Jockey Club director of racing Winfried Engelbrecht-Bresges. "We have done a lot of work to improve the standard and reputation of Hong Kong racing and perception-wise this case has had a negative impact around the world," he said.
"But, as I have said before, we have to wait for the outcome of the case to see what the effect will be. Perception-wise it is not good at the moment, but we must remember that no charges have been brought and no one should jump to conclusions."
There was more negative publicity when German jockey Andrasch Starke tested positive for cocaine at the International Races in December and was given a 6-1/2-month ban, but Engelbrecht-Bresges said: "Drugs are a general problem in society, so it would be blue-eyed to think that racing can escape it. The case did show that our testing procedures are effective and that we will take strong action if anyone is found guilty, but I think drugs are much less of a problem in racing than in some other sports and certainly than in society as a whole."
The Starke case was a blot on a much-improved disciplinary record among the jockeys after the Jockey Club doubled the maximum fine to $600,000 this season. Thankfully, there was no repeat of the serious racetrack falls which had marred the previous season when apprentice Philip Cheng Cheong-tat was killed and leading British jockey David Harrison suffered serious neck and spinal injuries.
The season was not entirely incident-free, but two separate three-horse pile-ups at Happy Valley did not bring life- or career-threatening injuries for the riders involved, with Australian jockey Scott Seamer coming off worst with a crushed vertebra from the second fall in April.
Meanwhile, following a long rehabilitation at a specialist unit in England, Harrison is now back at home as he continues his slow recovery, more than a year after his accident at Sha Tin.
"Falls can happen any time, especially in a very competitive environment like we have here," Engelbrecht-Bresges said. "But the tough regimen regarding fines has made the jockeys more aware of their responsibilities and another factor is that we have fewer inexperienced riders now, which is a positive change.
"Our young riders are getting the benefit of learning in a less competitive environment in Australia and when they come back they are better equipped to handle the racing here."
Engelbrecht-Bresges pointed to the improvement made by Vincent Sit and Way Leung, who shared the apprentice title, while Howard Cheng achieved 22 winners, a record for a local rider in his first senior season.
Many of the recent additions to the jockey ranks shone this term, including second- and third-season riders Shane Dye, Weichong Marwing, Anton Marcus and Dwayne Dunn, while newcomers Olivier Doleuze and, to a lesser extent, Michael Cahill and Andreas Suborics also made their mark.
"Olivier Doleuze was a brilliant success and there is a high probability he will come back next season," Engelbrecht-Bresges. "Not every star fits in Hong Kong and we have seen with jockeys like Dwayne Dunn that you don't need to come with a big reputation to be a success here.
"Hard work and the ability to adapt are just as important. We are also trying to bring in some younger jockeys, like we did this season with Bernard Fayd'herbe. It will improve them as jockeys and hopefully give us a supply line of jockeys for the future."
Engelbrecht-Bresges believes racing standards are improving, even though Hong Kong's five international events all went to overseas horses and owners found it difficult to buy the highly rated horses desired under the Jockey Club's replacement scheme.
"We have our highest-ever horse population, which shows that owners are still supporting Hong Kong racing even in difficult economic circumstances. There have been problems with the replacement scheme, but Firebolt is a classic example of the type of horse which can be bought to race here.
"The International Races also improved this year and, while we are not there yet, we have moved a step closer to our aim of making our December meeting the turf world championships. And I am convinced that more Hong Kong horses will win Group One races overseas in the coming years."
Off the track, the Jockey Club fought important battles with Australian sales house William Inglis & Son and at home in a landmark court case which sought to prove the Jockey Club's liability for the loss of a horse which had to be put down after a race at Sha Tin four years ago. The court case, which could have had serious implications for the future of the sport, went the Jockey Club's way, while the Club also won the battle of wills with Inglis to allow X-raying of sales horses.
The racetracks themselves were a late-season cause of concern, with Happy Valley's penultimate meeting being abandoned with one event to run after heavy rain made the course unraceable. "We have not been happy with the performance of our turf, especially at Happy Valley, and we will have to change the structure of our racing, especially in May," Engelbrecht-Bresges said.
"This year gave us a worst-case scenario because we had three times the normal amount of rain in May and 20-30 hours less sunshine, but safety is a paramount concern and we will address the problems next season."
RACING SEASON REVIEW
Jockey arrests in race-fixing probe cast long shadow 'It has had a negative impact around the world'
NICK PULFORD, Racing Editor
Never mind the sensational arrival of John Size or his epic battle with Ivan Allan for the trainers' championship, nor the brilliance of Douglas Whyte in retaining his jockeys' crown.
Never mind Electronic Unicorn's breathtaking gallop to Horse of the Year honours, nor the rising standard of racing exemplified by other top-liners such as Olympic Express, Industrial Pioneer and Firebolt.
Never mind the incredible Japanese world-beaters who took Sha Tin's international races by storm, nor the handicap-defying exploits of multiple winners Noble Boy and Darwin.
No, one headline-making story overshadowed these and all others during the 2001-02 season, and it was one which brought the worst possible exposure for racing. "Jockeys held in race-fix probe," blared the South China Morning Post's front page on February 8 following the arrests of Robbie Fradd, John Egan and 19 others as part of an Independent Commission Against Corruption investigation into alleged race-fixing and illegal bookmaking.
More than four months later, the case is still ongoing but no charges have been brought, leaving the two jockeys in limbo as they continue riding in South Africa and Britain respectively while under precautionary suspension in Hong Kong.
The high-profile case has not looked good for racing, admits Jockey Club director of racing Winfried Engelbrecht-Bresges. "We have done a lot of work to improve the standard and reputation of Hong Kong racing and perception-wise this case has had a negative impact around the world," he said.
"But, as I have said before, we have to wait for the outcome of the case to see what the effect will be. Perception-wise it is not good at the moment, but we must remember that no charges have been brought and no one should jump to conclusions."
There was more negative publicity when German jockey Andrasch Starke tested positive for cocaine at the International Races in December and was given a 6-1/2-month ban, but Engelbrecht-Bresges said: "Drugs are a general problem in society, so it would be blue-eyed to think that racing can escape it. The case did show that our testing procedures are effective and that we will take strong action if anyone is found guilty, but I think drugs are much less of a problem in racing than in some other sports and certainly than in society as a whole."
The Starke case was a blot on a much-improved disciplinary record among the jockeys after the Jockey Club doubled the maximum fine to $600,000 this season. Thankfully, there was no repeat of the serious racetrack falls which had marred the previous season when apprentice Philip Cheng Cheong-tat was killed and leading British jockey David Harrison suffered serious neck and spinal injuries.
The season was not entirely incident-free, but two separate three-horse pile-ups at Happy Valley did not bring life- or career-threatening injuries for the riders involved, with Australian jockey Scott Seamer coming off worst with a crushed vertebra from the second fall in April.
Meanwhile, following a long rehabilitation at a specialist unit in England, Harrison is now back at home as he continues his slow recovery, more than a year after his accident at Sha Tin.
"Falls can happen any time, especially in a very competitive environment like we have here," Engelbrecht-Bresges said. "But the tough regimen regarding fines has made the jockeys more aware of their responsibilities and another factor is that we have fewer inexperienced riders now, which is a positive change.
"Our young riders are getting the benefit of learning in a less competitive environment in Australia and when they come back they are better equipped to handle the racing here."
Engelbrecht-Bresges pointed to the improvement made by Vincent Sit and Way Leung, who shared the apprentice title, while Howard Cheng achieved 22 winners, a record for a local rider in his first senior season.
Many of the recent additions to the jockey ranks shone this term, including second- and third-season riders Shane Dye, Weichong Marwing, Anton Marcus and Dwayne Dunn, while newcomers Olivier Doleuze and, to a lesser extent, Michael Cahill and Andreas Suborics also made their mark.
"Olivier Doleuze was a brilliant success and there is a high probability he will come back next season," Engelbrecht-Bresges. "Not every star fits in Hong Kong and we have seen with jockeys like Dwayne Dunn that you don't need to come with a big reputation to be a success here.
"Hard work and the ability to adapt are just as important. We are also trying to bring in some younger jockeys, like we did this season with Bernard Fayd'herbe. It will improve them as jockeys and hopefully give us a supply line of jockeys for the future."
Engelbrecht-Bresges believes racing standards are improving, even though Hong Kong's five international events all went to overseas horses and owners found it difficult to buy the highly rated horses desired under the Jockey Club's replacement scheme.
"We have our highest-ever horse population, which shows that owners are still supporting Hong Kong racing even in difficult economic circumstances. There have been problems with the replacement scheme, but Firebolt is a classic example of the type of horse which can be bought to race here.
"The International Races also improved this year and, while we are not there yet, we have moved a step closer to our aim of making our December meeting the turf world championships. And I am convinced that more Hong Kong horses will win Group One races overseas in the coming years."
Off the track, the Jockey Club fought important battles with Australian sales house William Inglis & Son and at home in a landmark court case which sought to prove the Jockey Club's liability for the loss of a horse which had to be put down after a race at Sha Tin four years ago. The court case, which could have had serious implications for the future of the sport, went the Jockey Club's way, while the Club also won the battle of wills with Inglis to allow X-raying of sales horses.
The racetracks themselves were a late-season cause of concern, with Happy Valley's penultimate meeting being abandoned with one event to run after heavy rain made the course unraceable. "We have not been happy with the performance of our turf, especially at Happy Valley, and we will have to change the structure of our racing, especially in May," Engelbrecht-Bresges said.
"This year gave us a worst-case scenario because we had three times the normal amount of rain in May and 20-30 hours less sunshine, but safety is a paramount concern and we will address the problems next season."