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M Kerr Press Article

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Rising harness racing trainer quits as concerns sent to police 

Martin Van Beynen05:00, Nov 28 2020
 
Mitchell Kerr with Bettor Pay Me at Makarewa in 2014.
JOHN HAWKINS
Mitchell Kerr with Bettor Pay Me at Makarewa in 2014.

The career of a rising harness racing trainer has come to a sudden halt amid allegations of serious misconduct.

Mitchell Kerr – who already has 87 wins to his credit and has won nearly $900,000 in stake money in his three-year training career – handed in his training licence to Harness Racing New Zealand last Saturday.

At the same time, the Racing Integrity Unit (RIU) has received a raft of allegations about the 28-year-old's conduct as a trainer. Stuff understands the RIU is investigating and has also passed information to police. The police and the RIU declined to comment this week when asked about the case.

A source described the allegations as serious.

 
 

Kerr’s father Paul, a veteran licensed trainer based in Ohoka, North Canterbury, said the RIU had not put any of the allegations to his son, and he had not heard from police either.

Trainer Paul Kerr celebrates with his son, Mitchell, after Pay Me Christian wins the NRM Sire's Stakes Series final at Addington in 2005.
KIRK HARGREAVES/STUFF
Trainer Paul Kerr celebrates with his son, Mitchell, after Pay Me Christian wins the NRM Sire's Stakes Series final at Addington in 2005.

“I don’t have any respect for the Racing Integrity Unit whatsoever,” he said.

“They have been hounding people for the last three years.”

Paul Kerr said his son had “one or two personal issues going on” unconnected to the accusations. Mitchell was aware of the allegations, he said.

“Until they are substantiated they are just rumour mongering. Things are only just coming out of the woodwork and there is nothing to say they are true.”

Harness Racing New Zealand (HRNZ) confirmed Mitchell Kerr had relinquished his licence and said it was not aware of any investigation by the RIU.

“If there is a breach of the rules of racing then HRNZ will act appropriately.”

 
 
PauseMedia was banned from the night trots at Christchurch's Addington Raceway on September 7, 2018, following reports about corruption in the racing industry.

Horses stabled at the Mitchell Kerr Racing Stables in Rangiora have been removed to his father’s property in Ohoka. Paul Kerr said not a single owner had removed their horse from his son’s supervision and none had complained about his son.

Mitchell Kerr’s last win was at the Kaikōura races earlier this month when William Wallace, which is part owned by All Black Anton Lienert-Brown, won the PGG Sales Series Classic.

The allegations are the last thing the harness racing industry needs in its rebuilding phase after a police investigation into race fixing followed by charges against various industry figures in 2018.

Canterbury trainer Nigel McGrath was disqualified for eight years in July for attempted doping and not co-operating with racecourse inspectors.

An industry figure, who asked not to be named, said Kerr’s troubles were a major talking point in an industry known for its rumour mill.

“[About] 99.9 per cent of us are working our guts out for little reward and a few people put the sport in a bad light.”

Kerr has worked for his father, and for trainers Robert Dunn, at Woodend Beach, and Gareth Dixon in Auckland.

He went out on his own in 2017 after securing 10 boxes and a barn at Rangiora Raceway and developed the outside yards and paddocks.

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If you dont know how to delete a post then why post it in the first place. Do you have concrete evidence to support your post or just one of the other idiots that have nothing else to do but repeat what is already in the media without actually checking that what you say is true and therefore leaving yourself open to civil claims against you.   If you cant back it up then perhaps you should desist posting and save yourself a lot of heartache and legal bills. The media can pay for their legal bills but an individual may not be able to cover the ultimate cost.  Lawyers fees can be exorbitant in the end

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What a clown you are. Did they throw all the trainers names in the hat and magically pull out M Kerr's name ?. How unlucky he must be. On  behalf of everyone we applogise for this misguided information. I doubt not a single thing will come out about him and he has thrown his liscence in and gone surfing at Raglan. I hope you accept this apology  

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Well I guess kilcoyne, you would also know that actually takin out any kind lawsuit invites costs to both sides; those taking the suit in the first instance uppermost! and it's kinda hard road to hoe when it's all over the media anyway! :rolleyes: personally, never heard of anyone bein successful in a case against a person, for repeating whats been reported in main stream media; but hey you go for it! let us know how yuh go with that......

 

Iraklis

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1 hour ago, kilcoyne said:

If you dont know how to delete a post then why post it in the first place. Do you have concrete evidence to support your post or just one of the other idiots that have nothing else to do but repeat what is already in the media without actually checking that what you say is true and therefore leaving yourself open to civil claims against you.   If you cant back it up then perhaps you should desist posting and save yourself a lot of heartache and legal bills. The media can pay for their legal bills but an individual may not be able to cover the ultimate cost.  Lawyers fees can be exorbitant in the end

Take a breath and calm down. There is nothing I have said that would come close to claiming anything that would put me in court. All I have said is that Mitchell Kerr handed in his training licence (as reported in the article), along with 'what the heck is happening with harness racing?'. For all I know the powers that be are driving people out of the industry, or there is someone, or group, trying to discredit NZ harness racing and are succeeding via negative reports leading to discrediting the entire industry.  I have made zero personal judgement about Mitchell Kerr, at all. I don't operate that way.

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17 hours ago, kilcoyne said:

If you dont know how to delete a post then why post it in the first place. Do you have concrete evidence to support your post or just one of the other idiots that have nothing else to do but repeat what is already in the media without actually checking that what you say is true and therefore leaving yourself open to civil claims against you.   If you cant back it up then perhaps you should desist posting and save yourself a lot of heartache and legal bills. The media can pay for their legal bills but an individual may not be able to cover the ultimate cost.  Lawyers fees can be exorbitant in the end

Hopefully the legal bills won't add up to more than 100% of the costs incurred

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17 hours ago, MichaJ said:

Take a breath and calm down. There is nothing I have said that would come close to claiming anything that would put me in court. All I have said is that Mitchell Kerr handed in his training licence (as reported in the article), along with 'what the heck is happening with harness racing?'. For all I know the powers that be are driving people out of the industry, or there is someone, or group, trying to discredit NZ harness racing and are succeeding via negative reports leading to discrediting the entire industry.  I have made zero personal judgement about Mitchell Kerr, at all. I don't operate that way.

Just ignore Kilcoyne. he sounds like he is conflicted in some way. Its all In the public domain now and as always MK is innocent until proven guilty. 

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I wonder if this is still the case

 

Horses stabled at the Mitchell Kerr Racing Stables in Rangiora have been removed to his father’s property in Ohoka. Paul Kerr said not a single owner had removed their horse from his son’s supervision and none had complained about his son.

 

 

 

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1 hour ago, JJ Flash said:

I wonder if this is still the case

 

Horses stabled at the Mitchell Kerr Racing Stables in Rangiora have been removed to his father’s property in Ohoka. Paul Kerr said not a single owner had removed their horse from his son’s supervision and none had complained about his son.

 

 

 

That's like a Clayton's update; the update you're having when you're not having an update. 

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3 hours ago, JJ Flash said:

I wonder if this is still the case

 

Horses stabled at the Mitchell Kerr Racing Stables in Rangiora have been removed to his father’s property in Ohoka. Paul Kerr said not a single owner had removed their horse from his son’s supervision and none had complained about his son.

 

 

 

Yes is the simple answer

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10 hours ago, kilcoyne said:

Yes is the simple answer

 

Look up A Bettor Act in horse info and wow no P Kerr training it. It left a while back and is now trained down south by Brad. Your mate is in a whole heap of manure but good on you for sticking up for him cos he needs all the help he can get

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On 12/18/2020 at 11:09 AM, JJ Flash said:

One of those you mention had an ownership group of over 100%. Go figure  that out.

Think if ownership is over 100% it would be a syndicate over subscibed  ? Poor accounting there. 

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On 12/20/2020 at 1:12 PM, JJ Flash said:

By whom😉😉

Maybe the syndicate manager was told that the %age they own and paying for was not correct and found out when getting the prize-money which didn't  add up.  Only making this observation checking that Matt Damon is owned by a syndicate and others as at  22.10.20 .  Does it concen this horse as checked A Taste Of Honey and its ownership was last changed in July.  So it may not be the present owners that have an issue with M Kerr .

So is this the senario that has been referred as being more than 100% ownership ??

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I see another more extensive article on the M Kerr has appeared outlining the issues he faces

On 12/20/2020 at 11:53 AM, 2Piper said:

Think if ownership is over 100% it would be a syndicate over subscibed  ? Poor accounting there. 

By whom😉😉

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Guilty until proven innocent of many of the so called offenses. There have been many on this site calling for sanctions in order to bring younger people into the game. Been in it through family connections and my own participation since the early 1930's. Reading some of the stuff some are posting on here and other sites who would want to be involved. Lets just sut the whole industry down and those losing punters can go back to buying the Golden Kiwi tickets. You guys are doing nothing to attract new people into racing but instead are making sure that anyone who may be interested read all the so callled news about youngsters already involved and therefore turning people away.

I for one am considering investing in some yearlings at this years sales but if I have to put up with a bunch of ...............s like I see on here I just might recobsider and invest in overseas racing instead

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1 hour ago, kilcoyne said:

I just might recobsider and invest in overseas racing instead

Its a lot more professional overseas so good on you. Or, you could choose to go to a NZ stable with  an honest trainer backed up by an impeccable record.

We all know how much you stuck up for MK but  factually never got anything correct. Horses being moved within a week of him handing in his license for one. 

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2 hours ago, JJ Flash said:

Its a lot more professional overseas so good on you. Or, you could choose to go to a NZ stable with  an honest trainer backed up by an impeccable record.

We all know how much you stuck up for MK but  factually never got anything correct. Horses being moved within a week of him handing in his license for one. 

Hey JJ Can you please identify yourself, full name is suffiecient so that if I ever have to have it disclosed as a potential juror in any trial I am involved with I can have you disqualified. There is an "allegation" to quote the Press article  about Mr Kerr which has yet to be "proven beyond a REASONABLE doubt". Before you start slagging off against people you have maybe never set eyes on ( and Im guessing there) you need to make sure that you actually have "ALL" the facts. I stick up for people who are in fact considered "innocant until proven guilty" and have done for more than 50 years. So I never get anything factually correct??? lets see your "Factually correct info" While there may be some things that MK has done wrong anyone may make mistakes.  I can give you a whole list of indiscretions involving a lot of industries including the racing industry ( FYI see 2Piper's earlier post)over the last 50 odd years that have not resulted in the vitriol that has been handed down over the last few weeks mainly by you.

I suspect that you may infact be younger than myself so in the words that I have ofetn used in the courts, "I was doing this  while your mother was wiping your bum and changing your nappies" or maybe even before then.

I suggest you read the following befroe you start spouting off again. Give him a chance to have his say or face the chance that if you ever have a problem in the future about anything you will face not having your basic human rights observed, even if it only a $20 PARKING TICKET.

27Right to justice
  • (1)Every person has the right to the observance of the principles of natural justice by any tribunal or other public authority which has the power to make a determination in respect of that person's rights, obligations, or interests protected or recognised by law.

    (2)Every person whose rights, obligations, or interests protected or recognised by law have been affected by a determination of any tribunal or other public authority has the right to apply, in accordance with law, for judicial review of that determination.

    (3)Every person has the right to bring civil proceedings against, and to defend civil proceedings brought by, the Crown, and to have those proceedings heard, according to law, in the same way as civil proceedings between individuals.

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