Racing Debates - Is it possible to fix a race?

Betting scandals and market/race fixing accusations are rarely out of the headlines in racing, it is something the average punter is well aware of. First lets ask the question - what is fixing a race? Is it all jockeys and/or trainers/owners colluding to arrange the outcome of a race for financial gain? Or is it simply entering a horse that has no realistic chance whether that be by connections' choice or the horses' natural ability. This further widens the opening of racing's dark and unexposed underbelly. Is running a horse that is not at full racing fitness a form of race fixing? Lets explore these.

The Non Trier - I am not being a wild and crazed conspiracy theorist here, but the first rule that anyone new to racing and betting on racing should know is this: Not all horses in the race are there to win. If they were, we would all be millionaires because a very simple study of a formbook would tell you all the answers. Horses with race winning ability are run everyday where connections have absolutely no intention of winning. This can be for various reasons including wanting a reduced handicap mark, the race being used as a prep run for another race in near future or day I say it for certain people in the know to make a few quid. Owners and even some trainers and jockeys have been convicted for laying their own horses in the past and wouldn't surprise me if it happened again. Non triers happen every single day, that's not a conspiracy theory, that's a fact. Now lets get back to the original question, is this race fixing? Knowing that the horse you have entered in a race is not there to win. Most will say no, but a few will argue it is and I can see why. However, this will never stop, despite the fact it could be seen as unfair to punters etc, this is part of racing. Without non triers there would be no every day run-of-the-mill racing and I am comfortable with this, otherwise I wouldn't risk my money.

How easy is it to do? Very. Much easier than you would think. Flat jockeys probably have a tougher job as the races are shorter and there are no obstacles to overcome. How many times have you seen a naturally front running horse anchored out the back for a few races then suddenly reverts to front running next time and nothing gets past? This is just one example. In jumps races you can miss the start by a few lengths, take a pull for a few seconds and in a 10-15 runner field you are 30L off the pace from the get go and you realistically have no chance even if you wanted to win, it's worryingly easy though some jockeys are better at it than others! Also those with riding experience will themselves know there are various ways to unsettle a horse, or make out you are trying to push a horse on when actually you are doing the complete opposite. However, the fact is that jockeys have to do this. Their reward? Winners. They pull the horse three times successfully then they get the ride when it's go time, very simple really. That's the way the industry works. Form books are useful, but a book telling you when connections are trying would be even handier!

Horse fitness - Similar to the non trier in the sense that you are sending a horse to a race with no realistic chance of winning as it is not race fit or 'needs the run.' In my mind a horse coming back from a long absence will benefit from a race, of course it will. However, when trainer's say 'will need the run' are they just saying 'I haven't got him fit enough for this race?' I have thought about this for years and a few times the question of whether this 'needs the run' business is actually total nonsense has crossed my mind. That said I don't think it can be called a form of race fixing, after all 'prep runs' are commonplace and there are even designated prep races such as the Prix Niel for the Arc. However, sending a horse to the races mid season that hasn't been up the gallops in three weeks is totally wrong. Trainers have a responsibility to the sport to get their horses to a reasonable standard of fitness for a race, and any trainer that doesn't is being extremely deceitful and unfair in my opinion, especially if the reasoning for the lack of work is to ensure their horse doesn't win. Another form of the non trier, but the jockey can throw everything at the poor animal and it simply can't run to his mark due to the fact that it isn't race fit and shouldn't be running.

The race itself - This one is more alarming. Connections or jockeys conspiring to pre-arrange the result of a race and then riding accordingly. I like to think that this never happens but you look at some races and think that either some of the jockeys are stupid or just downright rubbish or alternatively; it is not possible for seasoned and experienced professionals to have acted in such a way by accident. 'Misjudging the pace' is a common one. We have all seen it before, we saw it earlier today at Chepstow. One horse blazes off in front by 20 odd lengths and the jockeys behind let him go. They presumably expect the leader to come back to them, but like today, sometimes they don't. The panic buttons were pressed behind but the winner had already flown. This is usually seen more in apprentice/amateur races due to lack of race-riding experience but with the likes of Richard Johnson and Barry Geraghty in behind you have to wonder how such professionals can make such a devastating mistake. The likelihood is that despite the price, the Skelton horse was better handicapped than the other jockeys thought, but Dan Skelton is banging in the winners and this should have been something that the other jockeys were thinking. That said it was an enterprising ride from Harry and I am not for one moment suggesting this race was in anyway fixed or pre-determined but such awful misjudgements do make people question integrity of the sport. I think the other jockeys should have to answer for such mistakes though the BHA think differently as no enquiries were made whatsoever. Make of that what you will.

A telephone call between Paul Mulrennan and Martin Dwyer discussing their rides in an upcoming race from 2010 emerged in the summer. Of course jockeys talk but if I remember rightly Dwyer was trying to convince Mulrennan that Mulrennan had no chance on his mount and he was going to back the mount of David Allan and was trying to convince Mulrennan to do the same. Jockeys aren't allowed to bet, so this is one cause for concern but if Mulrennan has backed another horse in the race, he isn't exactly going to be throwing the kitchen sink at his mount is he? David Allan's mount subsequently won the race. Remember that this is just the stuff that has come to light, no doubt there are many things the racing public may never know about. Is this race fixing? Even if Mulrennan's mount had no chance, is this still race fixing? Certainly an interesting argument. 

The fact is that people talk. In the build up to a race, jockeys will talk to other jockeys and trainers and half the time any one jockey in a race has ridden for at least one other yard in the same race so they can get a pretty good idea of the likely outcome before a race and with the added knowledge of which horses are likely to be on a 'going day' you can see that it wouldn't be hard to have a pretty good outcome of the potential top three in a race. If the odd jockey is having a bet, which no doubt a few do, or at least their mates are then will they ride accordingly? Is this race fixing?


Sadly corruption does exist and as racing fans we know that. Most will only choose to notice it when their money is involved however, which to be honest makes me quite sad.  Racing is our sport, we love it to death. The bad comes with the good like everything and as genuine racing fans, we put up with non triers and dodgy gambles because we could not live without racing, and more notably remember, racing could not live without us, the typical racing fan and punter who fund the industry.


It's a very interesting debate, it all depends what you consider to be race fixing. It has been exposed in many sports, boxing, football, snooker to name a few, all for one reason, money. More and more people in the game forgetting the reason they fell in love with it in the first place - the adrenaline rush of a race, the magnificent animal itself, the thoroughbred, the great people in the industry and the amazing moments and great days out racing can bring to an individual. They forget all of this for a quick buck and this is ironically the greatest 'fix' of them all. 

Thanks for taking the time to read my ramblings. Please offer your own views and any future suggestions for 'racing debates' that you want to see discussed on blog.

@THTRacing