INTEGRITY BOSS QUITS

WHEN former NSW racing integrity guru Reid Sanders signed on as Tasmania’s Director of Racing late last year he had an agenda to fix an ailing Office of Racing Integrity that was on the verge of imploding.

Resignations of senior stewards and administrators had led to a constant reshuffling of the deck chairs, which left the department in turmoil.

The Tasmanian Government, which funds ORI, needed to fix the problem and in stepped Sanders.

In a short space of time he made great inroads into rejuvenating the integrity component of the state’s racing industry. But, only five months on, he has resigned.

Sanders came to the state with a reputation for being a Mister Fix It and, while the department is still recovering from what transpired under the previous administration, Sanders is confident he leaves with ORI in a much better place than when he arrived.

“When I first arrived here in Tasmania there were many things that needed to be addressed inside the walls of ORI,” Sanders said.

“There was a lot I had to get my head around but I’m sure it offers a much better working environment today and I’m happy to be judged on that when I’m gone.

“In the five months or so that I’ve been here in Tasmania I’ve discovered that the racing here is definitely in a growth period with turnover on all three codes on the rise and I’m sure with the right direction it will continue to grow.

“And that growth is always going to be dependent on a quality integrity department and I have no doubt that ORI can now fulfil that role.”

Sanders said he found the constant commuting between Tasmania and his home base in Queensland too great an impost to continue in his position.

“In the first instance I accepted the position providing I could commute and I was quite prepared to live out of a hotel room while I was getting the job done and that initially involved travelling to and from Sydney.

“But my home is now in Brisbane and travelling home nearly every weekend coupled with hotel accommodation was not only very expensive for me but in the end too taxing.

“There are obviously other issues related to that but in essence it was the travelling that wore me down.”

When Sanders resigned as chief steward of Harness Racing NSW in December, 2016, he intended taking a break but instead became a consultant.

“I decided to stop working full-time and just become a consultant but that snowballed so now I’m definitely going to take that break I wanted in 2016.”

Sanders leaves ORI on Friday but it is believed his position has been advertised and there are a number of suitable candidates.