Monday, July 10, 2006

A whiff of corruption in the air?

The Horseracing Regulatory Authority's decision to suspend Kieren Fallon from riding in the United Kingdom pending the outcome of the forthcoming trial has generated differing opinions.

Fallon has stated publicly that if the decision is not overturned his career will be in ruins.

In other professional walks of life the accused are usuallly sent home on gardeneing leave - that is to say on full pay pending the outcome.

Fallon has the luxury of a lucrative retainer with the Aidan O'Brien stable based in Ireland. Financially the other two jockeys suspended, Fergal Lynch and Darren Williams, will be worse affected as they ride freelance; in effect their ability to earn a living has been taken away from them.

On Sunday John Francome set the cat amongst the pigeons by estimating that up to six races a year may be fixed http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/other_sports/horse_racing/5163090.stm

One thing we can expect over the next few months is a period of moralising and soul searching, and it looks like it's already started...

http://sport.guardian.co.uk/horseracing/story/0,,1816209,00.html
http://sport.guardian.co.uk/horseracing/comment/0,,1817483,00.html

The wretched irony is we go racing to try and escape this sort of stuff.

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