0800 raceclean

www.crimeline.co.za/
Had a look at the NHRA site and I cannot find any telephone number to use that would allow the public to report any illegal practise to the stipes should they feel the need. Surely in a grown-up world we should expect that there could(there have been many cases world-wide of corruption in sport) be bad elements in the sport? What about punters that have backed a horse that wins/runs well when raced handily and then suddenly is raced from off the pace without any reason(as an example) - could they not telephone anonymously and ask the stipes to have a look at the ride? Racing has a bad reputation and many people within the game are afraid to report suspicious activities for fear of reprisals (true or not the fear exists) so why not give punters/owners/jockeys etc an avenue to protect themselves? I am not saying that racing is corrupt I'm saying put measures in place for Joe Public or Joe the jockey/trainer/groom to give up info if the need arises without fear:) I know the naysayers will say that this line could be abused with hoax calls etc but far better to have the facility than not if you want to prove to potential players that racing is clean? And no I don't buy into the notion that we should police ourselves behind closed doors - transparency is the correct approach and the Stipes would welcome info I suspect.

Good morning Mr H

I see 2 aspects to "crazy" results

1) The horse is erratic

2) Where betting is involved and the horse has been tampered with

The second being the most serious crime, remember the Racing authorities also have access to bookies logs, plus the tote, but the more you put on the tote the less the payout so easier to hide, plus anyone can collect a tote ticket.

However a good subject and food for thought, will try and get some reply.

hi Dave - not focused so much on results etc - What if a Jock is being pressurised to pull a horse? Or a groom to give out stable info or nobble a horse etc - who do they turn to if they want help but need to be anonymous? Or a trainer is ill-treating a horse? I'm also of the opinion that too much is made of the phrase - "a horse is not a machine but is an animal" - I have a veritable zoo at home and my animals behave in a similar fashion on a daily basis- I sometimes wonder if horses would do better racing on PROZAC as they seem to be so unpredictable when it suites HUMANS - why horses are so erratic is another story altogether which I fear might just be more anchored in fiscal matters than physical ones- How about a vet that is approached to give an injection that is banned etc

True Mr H but where you have pulled horses, nobbled, vet injection would lead to a erratic betting pattern, now Betfair were the "police" in the game, highlighting in many cases before the off.

So if you have a punter that punts R100 a race and now puts R5000 on something, that has to be highlighted somewhere?

Was reading about an anti-corrupt team that is finding"fixed "soccer matches solely by studing betting patterns(pity they dont pass it on as tips...lol)
They have as much as a 87% rate of "predicting" even the exact score of the fix!!!
Funny that our regulators accept that "unusual betting patterns" are based on lucky numbers by phantom retarded punters????

Yup I agree Dave but I've heard so many stories of illegal buckets etc that following a money trail might not reveal all - Racing is primarily a visual sport - You can see many things without having to look further than a patrol film or a major dip/rise in horse mass etc - I would just like to know why such a facility does not exist? Are we punters expected to just accept any bad result without question or recourse unless we are the owner or trainer? Picture this fictional scenario - horse a runs in a Maiden in Kimberly - he cost the owner 5k at a dispersal sale and is having his first run for the trainer after being there for a month - owner in for 9k - Punter X puts 25 k on the horse and is not happy with the ride he SEES on television as the Jock only starts riding the horse with 100m to the line- What can Punter X do as he is not the owner/trainer of the horse(as far as i know regular joe public has no recourse to request an inquiry into a result)? Surely he should have an avenue to point out his dismay at the ride?

Mr H ,I share your view on this issue.An important role of regulators is surely to ask the questions that many wish they could ask when form is reversed, is erratic etc.,particularly if tactics are also drastically different as well.
Racing needs a strong perception of regulation to improve it's image.

i support the comment above 100%. i have always believed that betting on first timers should be disallowed because the public has no information on such horses and therefore betting blindly in such races. quite often we see first timers romping home at ridiculous prices to the delight of a few. i once heard a trainer mourn on tellytrack that he was disappointed his mount had been backed, that is pure greed imo how does one expect to 'win' the punters money while hiding everything about their particular horse. i'd rather lose money on poor form study than on pure corruption><

Envestigated by the stipes lol some centres it is a free for all at the moment ask around you will find out:-)betting paterns got nothing to do with it I often play around with a 50 ATC and 100 on the nose but I also put 10.000 on if it is my own that was prepared (in training:-) ) for a put where else will I make back some of the money I pay for my RESTHORSES ?