Police raid 10 racing stables

A wealthy Christchurch punter whose home was raided in a highlevel police investigation into corruption in harness racing says police will come up emptyhanded.

Harness racing identities have been interviewed by police following morning raids on 10 stables throughout the country, after a long-running inquiry into alleged race-fixing, corruption and drugs in the sport.

Police executed search warrants on stables in Canterbury, Invercargill and Manawatu¯ . Figures interviewed included Natalie Rasmussen, John Dunn, Blair Orange, Nigel McGrath and Andrew Stuart.

Orange is currently the country’s top harness racing driver.

Southland harness racing administrator Kevin McNaught says if the allegations were proven, it would be a sad blow for harness racing.

‘‘It would be extremely disappointing, if it’s proven,’’ he said. ‘‘There’s a lot of honest and hard working people in the sport.’’

McNaught will soon be the South Island delegate on the board of Harness Racing New Zealand.

Southern Harness Racing’s chairman John Earl said integrity was paramount in sport.

‘‘It’s horrible and we can definitely do without it.’’

Jason Broad, who is Southern Harness Racing’s general manager, echoed McNaught and Earl’s comments.

‘‘If it’s proven, it’s not good for the industry.

‘‘It’s a police matter and let them do the investigating.’’

Racing Minister Winston Peters says the Government has done all it can to ensure the industry’s integrity.

‘‘If anybody thinks, in that industry, that they’re above the law or above the requirements of integrity’’ – they couldn’t be more wrong, he said.

But Peters stressed only ‘‘one small group’’ was alleged to have ‘‘fouled the rest of the industry’s good reputation’’.

‘‘We will know now whether or not there are legitimate causes for the raid in the first place.

‘‘I would like to hear the evidence first because we can’t rush to judgment. They have got the right to be regarded as innocent until being proven guilty and I cannot, as minister, contaminate that objective.’’

Detective Superintendent Tim Anderson said police were talking to ‘‘a lot’’ of people in relation to the investigation, which began in April last year.

No-one had been arrested but a ‘‘number of people’’ were expected to be arrested later in the week, he said.

He would not comment on the allegations surrounding drug use but said it ‘‘was possible’’ drug charges could be laid.

It was not yet known how much money could have been tied up in fixed races, Anderson said.

Christchurch car industry king pin, racehorse owner and major punter Graham Beirne, speaking to Stuff from Bali where he is on holiday, said he had heard about the raids on Canterbury trainers and knew police wanted to interview him.

‘‘I’m a suspect, put it that way. The police have been to our place this morning but I’m not there. All I have to say is one word: nonsense.

‘‘I don’t know where it’s coming from.

‘‘If they are talking race fixing, it’s nonsense. It doesn’t happen, so we’ll see what they come up with but they are obviously taking it seriously because they

‘‘It would be extremely disappointing, if it’s proven.’’

Southland harness racing administrator

Kevin McNaught

have raided stables all over the place.’’

Race fixing may have occurred in the distant past but checks and balances in the current system made it too difficult, he said.

The other issue in the industry was doping but he didn’t know anything about that.

He said he was ‘‘flippant’’ about the investigation but ‘‘I feel sorry for the trainers involved. I

feel bad for the guys and the people they are interviewing. It’s their livelihood. It’s terrible for them. It tarnishes all their reputations even if nothing is found, which there won’t be’’.

Champion trainer Mark Purdon said police arrived with a warrant to search his home and business, All Star Stables, yesterday morning.

Police were not interested in him but his business partner, Natalie Rasmussen, was still being questioned by police at 4pm, he said.

‘‘I wouldn’t have thought she would have anything to worry about,’’ Purdon said.

‘‘I certainly know as far as race fixing goes and drugs, they will draw a blank with us . . . We pretty well keep to ourselves.’’

During the police raids, addresses were cordoned off and some occupants were seen leaving with police. Computers and devices were seized.

Anderson said the investigation was prompted by information from the Racing Integrity Unit.

‘‘Police have been working in partnership with the RIU and other relevant organisations throughout the investigation.’’