New Zealand police conducted a 17-month investigation into allegations of fixing, corruption and drugs in harness racing.GETTY IMAGES
Arrests and charges are "understood to be imminent following raids at 10 properties and horse stables across Christchurch, Invercargill and the Manawatu," according to Van Beynen, Kermeen & Redmond of STUFF. Police said that a 17-month investigation into alleged harness race fixing, corruption and drugs in the sport is "unprecedented in New Zealand." Well-known racing figures who were interviewed include Natalie Rasmussen, John Dunn, Blair Orange, Nigel McGrath and Andrew Stuart. NZ Minister for Racing Winston Peters said that the alleged offenders "should be treated as innocent until proven guilty." Harness racing turns over about NZ$220M ($144.2M) a year in betting and receives about NZ$40M ($26.2M) from the New Zealand Racing Board. The home of "Christchurch car industry king pin, racehorse owner and major punter" Graham Beirne was raided by police, but Beirne said that the allegations are "nonsense." Peters stressed only "one small group" was alleged to have "fouled the rest of the industry's good reputation" (STUFF, 9/4). STUFF's Greg Tourelle reported the police investigation into allegations of race fixing in the harness code "could not have come at a worst time for the racing industry." News of police raids comes "hot on the heels of the Messara report catapulting racing into the news headlines late last week." While last week's report focused on thoroughbred racing, many of the courses recommended for closure and sale are also harness tracks, "so there are big ramifications for both codes." As in other countries, racing in New Zealand has "long struggled to shake off the perception of corruption despite the efforts of administrators," and the latest police raids will not "do anything to mollify that" (STUFF, 9/4).
