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[barney]

I was and if they dont give them life if found guilty people will laugh at the sport and not take it serious .It is a serious sport with people making livings out of it and lets face betting turnover is an important part of it.Sponsorship also and who would sponsor a sport tainted by cheating not to mention the drugs.Victoria Harness has not had one positive as yet why.

[aussiebreno]

Guys i have loved Harness racing for a bloody long time and we now run 3rd behind greyhounds like it or not.The sport has a stigma and this latest is not going to help no matter what spin you put on it.Trainers have been given 10 years for cobalt chloride race rigging in my mind is worse.

I agree race rigging is worse, and the stigma is bad (but at least it's being cleaned up) and that they should get very, very long sentences. But I just don't see how it's the end of harness racing as a punters sport. Just as much cash will be wagered today (if not more) in the Vic TAB pools at Mildura as last meeting even with the smaller fields.

Fair go Brendan.....Brady hasn't been found guilty of anything whatsoever, unlike Oliver.

Oh sorry I can so how you get that. I didn't mean to infer from deflategate, I just mean the genuine love for his 4 superbowls and 3 MVPs.

[arlington]

Pretty sure there's a link posted in the cobalt thread barney, HRV has reportedly got a positive for cobalt. As for apparent inaction I'd say the outcomes of the McDowell/Day harness racing and Darren Smith thoroughbred court actions will determine where HRV go. Once again a money thing, could Victorian harness racing cop a seven figure legal expense right now?
Could we look at it more positively considering these charges are also criminal now? The implications with being relicensed with a criminal record, if convicted.

[teecee]

Has turnover fallen through the floor in NSW harness racing?
When will harness racing close down in NSW?
Is this situation in Victoria worst, on a par, not as bad as bribery of the officials who police the sport a la NSW harness racing not a lifetime ago?


IMO...
No
Not in my lifetime
on a par

[Messenger]

That is what I call cutting to the chase TC
Only different answer for me would be the last ...
Not as bad

[Messenger]

It is hard to believe the release of Australian journalist Peter Greste is on pg 10 of The Age (would have expected on fr page) while the Cramps are on pg 8

[barney]

Has turnover fallen through the floor in NSW harness racing?
When will harness racing close down in NSW?
Is this situation in Victoria worst, on a par, not as bad as bribery of the officials who police the sport a la NSW harness racing not a lifetime ago?


Not in my lifetime
on a par

I can talk from personal experience as the site im involved with which is bqasicaly a harness site has gone from over a hundred active members to less than 30 with some long term harness fans saying they no longer follow the sport.We can ignore this and think all is well but fooling ourselves.

[Mister JayKO]

I can talk from personal experience as the site im involved with which is bqasicaly a harness site has gone from over a hundred active members to less than 30 with some long term harness fans saying they no longer follow the sport.We can ignore this and think all is well but fooling ourselves.

Barney, I would concur with your view, punters will continue to punt, it's the involvement of people at grass roots, owners, enthusiasts, breeders and sponsors that are most at risk In some regards this to me looks like a bit of an Al Capone type of scenario (draw your own conclusions) given the races concerned and the "relatively small amounts" allegedly involved. I am not sure why The Age does not cover Harness Racing, but certainly in Sydney the SMH always has. With respect to posters criticising their coverage, this is sophisticated organised crime and its involvement in the industry unfortunately goes way back. Policing of the sport has always lagged due to lack of funding and resources, so to an extent it has always been vulnerable. In the days when I went to the trots, I saw enough questionable races or performances that should have raised ?'s in every instance there was usually a trail of $$ that signalled something was not right, most were never followed up satisfactorily. I was there the night Coloresque was retired with broken gear and thought nothing of it at the time, because there was no evident money trail and it was by pure fluke that that was picked up.

On another thread their is discussion regarding champs of the past. A horse considered one the finest ever produced should have massive ? Against whether he competed on the level given the allegations of suspected use of EPO way ahead of its time in this country.
The cobalt inquiries I suspect have to stand still until the NSW test case is resolved, HRV cannot afford to go off half cocked here or it will signal the end of the spirt as a profession, Andrew Rule has already forecast the end of the sport, it will need significant government assistance to get the integrity controls in place to do so.

[teecee]

I can talk from personal experience as the site im involved with which is bqasicaly a harness site has gone from over a hundred active members to less than 30 with some long term harness fans saying they no longer follow the sport.We can ignore this and think all is well but fooling ourselves.

With respect, a forum with a membership of over 100 losing 70% of its active members is a statistically insignificant event in the life or history of harness racing. You may have lost one or less for all the many scandals to have rocked the sport even in my short lifetime.
Contrary to what has been claimed here the latest, IMO, "hiccup" to racing and in particular Victoria's turn has no chance of ending nor even contributing to the end of harness racing. Harness racing, along with many other sports where there is a "need to win" like cycling and football ,has not died nor become extinct as a result of a few "bad apples" contaminating the barrel. The current situation is not different to the many similar instances within the history of sport, gambling and prizes.

[barney]

I have had at its peak over 2000 members not all active including some participants in the sport but a lot no longer look in.