Turmiol facing racing

13 April 2012

It may not quite compare with Gerald Ratner's quote about his jewellery being "crap" but Chris Bell's claim that one horserace is fixed in Britain every day of the week leaves an ugly stain which could have serious repercussions.

Clearly, BBC reporters got more than they bargained for when they interviewed the Ladbrokes chief for an episode of The Money Programme due to be screened next Tuesday night.

But what were Bell's motives for making such an astonishing claim?

Perhaps it was a gut feeling that the integrity of the sport of kings has degenerated based on years spent observing the workings of the world's biggest bookmaking firm.

Perhaps it was a misguided moment in front of camera fuelled by talks with company experts whose imaginations are a little too vivid.

Or maybe it was a calculated attack on the betting exchanges which have rapidly developed into the biggest threat that traditional bookmakers like Ladbrokes have ever been faced with. Betfair and the rest of the online exchanges which have grown so rapidly in recent years offer punters the chance to back horses at much better prices than traditional bookies can offer.

But the fact that they also offer punters the chance to lay a horse to lose has led to suggestions that corruption is more prevalent in racing than it has ever been.

One case involved jockey Sean Fox who allegedly jumped off Ice Saint at Fontwell in March which attracted huge publicity.

Not surprisingly, Betfair PR director Mark Davies rubbished Bell's claim today and challenged him to put up or shut up.

"It's extraordinary that someone in his position should make such a statement with absolutely no attempt to back it up and it does Chris Bell and racing as a whole no favours whatsoever," he said.

"It's in everyone's interest that racing is free of corruption and we will continue to liaise with the Jockey Club to ensure that continues to be the case."

Few who have observed racing closely in recent years - myself included - doubt that the results of certain races have been manipulated. Exchanges have undoubtedly helped facilitate those who seek to profit from insider knowledge, but Bell's suggestion that races are deliberately fixed on a daily basis is almost certainly exaggeration on a grand scale.

Channel 4 pundit John McCririck agrees with the latter sentiment but offered a suggestion of his own to ensure that racing's reputation does not continue to get dragged through the mud every time a television programme puts the sport under the spotlight.

"Chris Bell's comment reinforces what so many thousands of punters believe, though cynics would say that this is just part of a campaign to discredit exchanges and also ask why Ladbrokes haven't gone to the Jockey Club with such valuable information," he said.

"For years now I have been campaigning for the introduction of a rule whereby no race can take place with less than six runners.

"Fix is the crucial word here. I hope fixing is not happening on a regular basis and I don't believe it is, but small fields increase the risk of crooks being able to corrupt racing and the sooner they are done away with the better."

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Turmiol facing racing

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