Mark Purdon Inca Comment

[LongOwner 217]

MARK SPEAKS OUT AGAIN ON CURRENT ACTION

 

It was a low key hearing on race fixing charges in the Court on Tuesday and at least I was pleased Raoul Neave has been the judge in this case to date. His summaries  have been well reasoned and he had a compassion for those in court concerning the lack of respect shown by the media that covered the initial police raids.

However it was decided that pleas would not be made until  December 5. There has been a battle to get some of those affected back to race day driving and I hope by the time this has appeared common sense has prevailed. So far there has not been much of it and if the Racing Integrity Unit thinks they have acted in the best  interests of harness racing I would urge them to get a second opinion.

It’s going to be a long road to finality with these cases and I can see bitter feelings toward the RIU at the end of it.

I am naturally not prepared to speculate on the outcome of the Court process but I want to make the point most of these people have given their lives to harness racing and served it with more integrity than they have been shown at times here. We tend to stand back and let things take its course when it does not involve us personally yet  there are, in my opinion, a number of times when people affected should have been treated a lot better than they were, given the outcome.

I hope for once we can come together and pressure the RIU for answers. I expect it will be well into next year before these cases are resolved and this is an occasion when we should stand up and not stand back.

For the betterment of our industry and the young people coming through it is a time for action especially in establishing protocols that will avoid dragging people’s reputations  through the dirt and taking Harness Racing’s credibility with it.

Mark Purdon



[Newmarket RC 209]

Whilst he is entitled to his opinion and has a vested interest in the outcome for his training partner i  think he is way off course in some of his comments.

The RIU are not there to act in the best interests of Harness racing. I suggest he and others look at their webpage for a description of what their job is. Further, but im pretty sure the police are the ones bringing the prosecution case to the courts not the RIU.

Good luck with the bitter feelings about the RIU, you seem to forget the role the play in the game both now and in the future.Clue, they police the rules which HRNZ have made and enacted

FYG Mark, due process takes time as do court cases where multiple arrests have been executed.

You contradict yourself in para 4 re not going to speculate about outcome yet you do in last sentence saying they should be better treated than they have been given the outcome- what outcome is that?

Plenty of people have given long service to many areas of sport and commerce yet turned out to be bad apples and punished by the court system accordingly.

Finally , its sad whats happened  and Harness racing's credibility has been tarnished by this episode. I would suggest that getting rid of and punishing any guilty party who has not followed established protocols will be the first step in resurrecting  the credibility of the game.

Newmarket

[what a post 811]

Mr Purdon is standing up for those  he knows and respects,,totally understandable and good on him for doing that.He obviously views loyalty as important.

However I think he totally misses the point when he states "if the RIU think they have acted in the best interests of the harness industry,then I would urge them to get a second opinion"

I thought taking action against possible corruption was at the very top of the RIU's responsibilities.   Surely he can understand that, even if it effects those he knows well.   

I understand some of his comments, however he goes too far in my opinion.  In fact I think it gives the impression, possibly not intended, that he believes some are above the law,and they should not be touched as it  causes too much upheaval. 

If he really wants to advocate for the harness industry and those young people involved,,then  I would expect him to powerfully condemn  the actions of those involved if they are found guilty in either jurisdiction Somehow I don't believe he will, we will just have to wait and see how it all plays out.

[Newmarket RC 209]

18 minutes ago, what a post said:

Mr Purdon is standing up for those  he knows and respects,,totally understandable and good on him for doing that.He obviously views loyalty as important.

However I think he totally misses the point when he states "if the RIU think they have acted in the best interests of the harness industry,then I would urge them to get a second opinion"

I thought taking action against possible corruption was at the very top of the RIU's responsibilities.   Surely he can understand that, even if it effects those he knows well.   

I understand some of his comments, however he goes too far in my opinion.  In fact I think it gives the impression, possibly not intended, that he believes some are above the law,and they should not be touched as it  causes too much upheaval. 

If he really wants to advocate for the harness industry and those young people involved,,then  I would expect him to powerfully condemn  the actions of those involved if they are found guilty in either jurisdiction Somehow I don't believe he will, we will just have to wait and see how it all plays out.

Im really pleased with this reply as i think , like my earlier post, it nails the major issues in MP's piece

Frankly, im not sure what MP hoped to achieve with this outburst for that is surely what it is. I'm sensing and hope all it is was is frustration at the process.

As for the "Bitter feelings towards RIU at the end of it " you might want to reconsider your position on that MP. Making what could be interpreted by some as threats does you no credit IMHO

[Taku Umanga 194]

2 hours ago, Newmarket said:

Good luck with the bitter feelings about the RIU, you seem to forget the role the play in the game both now and in the future.Clue, they police the rules which HRNZ have made and enacted

More than that - they are assisting with the enforcement of the law.

[Fartoomuch 1,376]

29 minutes ago, Taku Umanga said:

More than that - they are assisting with the enforcement of the law.

I cant see what he hopes to achieve with this course of action. Although not perfect having  a crack at the RIU is not what i would call the smartest move one could make.

[newbie85 94]

Are these Marks words or those of a retired racing reporter ( a good one in his time)

[Watsup 21]

One would think after what happened a few years ago he would not have commented on this

[Fartoomuch 1,376]

7 hours ago, newbie85 said:

Are these Marks words or those of a retired racing reporter ( a good one in his time)

They are his thoughts given he signed it off. Whether DM wrote it is immaterial as such 

[Stables 577]

All of you are assuming that everyone the police charge is guilty. Why bother with a court system and the assumption of innocence, let's just allow the police to round up anyone they consider suspect and throw them in jail

[Midget 4,489]

 

 

 

TThis is the first time i have commented on this issue.

I had a charge laid against me, which I am sure you most of you know the result.

I cannot believe that all the persons being charged, cannot get a wage until the case has been heard, do none of these people have a mortgage, or family to support?

Let's have a serious look at the RIU and their employer. We will start with M Goober Did he not work for the MET and was he not in charge of the new stable complex at Addington and a relation of his was appointed to construct the building and midway through the construction they went broke and another constructor was appointed to complete the building. Then he was either replaced or resigned from the MET and gained employment in Australia and was either sacked or resigned and fell into his current role as the head of the RIU? Is this the right person to run this Integrity unity? My experience says NO and i say this with all the contact between the RIU, JCA and my legal team and the CLEAR advise the RIU was given was that there was NEVER a  charge to be answered too, but they wanted it to proceed. History says that they were WRONG and my estimate would be that it cost the RIU in excess of 55k.I believe I am correct when i state they do not care about the expenditure as it is completely funded from the Pokies. This is why the RIU send Stewards to the SI and vice versa and when he was questioned about this added cost his explanation was it was good for other Stewards to get experience in other areas,I say rubbish. Do Stewards go to Sydney from Queensland,Queensland to Melbourne etc,the answer is No. So why do we waste money on this rubbish? I will let you decide, but if the money was coming out of his pocket would this wastage be happening?

l was going to comment on several other issues, eg a starter dispatching a field with a man in front of the starting gates, he could have received fatal injuries, cones being left on the track and the races commences after an RIU steward had inspected the track, a RIU steward saying the track was safe to race last Saturday at Riccarton when a horse slips and he states in his report it was an isolated slip and lets the meeting proceed and then another horse slips in the next race and the meeting is called off. I give up on the incompetence of the RIU  Organisation and more importantly, it's head.

 

[Fartoomuch 1,376]

9 hours ago, Midget said:

 

 

 

TThis is the first time i have commented on this issue.

I had a charge laid against me, which I am sure you most of you know the result.

I cannot believe that all the persons being charged, cannot get a wage until the case has been heard, do none of these people have a mortgage, or family to support?

Let's have a serious look at the RIU and their employer. We will start with M Goober Did he not work for the MET and was he not in charge of the new stable complex at Addington and a relation of his was appointed to construct the building and midway through the construction they went broke and another constructor was appointed to complete the building. Then he was either replaced or resigned from the MET and gained employment in Australia and was either sacked or resigned and fell into his current role as the head of the RIU? Is this the right person to run this Integrity unity? My experience says NO and i say this with all the contact between the RIU, JCA and my legal team and the CLEAR advise the RIU was given was that there was NEVER a  charge to be answered too, but they wanted it to proceed. History says that they were WRONG and my estimate would be that it cost the RIU in excess of 55k.I believe I am correct when i state they do not care about the expenditure as it is completely funded from the Pokies. This is why the RIU send Stewards to the SI and vice versa and when he was questioned about this added cost his explanation was it was good for other Stewards to get experience in other areas,I say rubbish. Do Stewards go to Sydney from Queensland,Queensland to Melbourne etc,the answer is No. So why do we waste money on this rubbish? I will let you decide, but if the money was coming out of his pocket would this wastage be happening?

l was going to comment on several other issues, eg a starter dispatching a field with a man in front of the starting gates, he could have received fatal injuries, cones being left on the track and the races commences after an RIU steward had inspected the track, a RIU steward saying the track was safe to race last Saturday at Riccarton when a horse slips and he states in his report it was an isolated slip and lets the meeting proceed and then another horse slips in the next race and the meeting is called off. I give up on the incompetence of the RIU  Organisation and more importantly, it's head.

 

Your case is one example Midget and was instigated at the behest of a bitter and twisted supposed CEO.

I have already posted about inadequacies  of RIU leader and his previous record 

This case is a police one and the RIU  were entitled to take the course of action taken  on the the basis of HRNZ liscense rules.

I'm sure they will be back on board as due process takes place. Some of them are already back at the Track.