Mike Dillon: Irate Wheeler lambasts slur on racing's participants

NZ Racing Board chairman Michael Stiassny. Photo / Supplied

I work in an industry lacking in integrity.

Funny, because I hadn't realised that in a couple of decades until it was mentioned by NZ Racing Board chairman Michael Stiassny and Racing Minister John Carter.

Stiassny issued a statement - many would call it an accusation - "Integrity key to turning around negative perceptions of racing".

It continued: "The racing industry needs to ensure it is beyond reproach in every way. The way races are conducted, the behaviour of the participants, betting systems and all funding sources must be able to withstand scrutiny.

"The racing industry has been the subject of bad publicity for many years on all of these counts."

No one disagrees integrity is the cornerstone of a clean image - it is the cornerstone to a good society.

To say prominent trainer New Plymouth John Wheeler is incensed by the comments by Stiassny and Carter is like saying Dan Carter plays footie just okay.

"It stinks, how dare these people put a slur on the integrity of the main players in the industry."

But we'll get back to Wheeler shortly.

"The way races are conducted?"

Which way is that? Are there problems? If so, what?

They don't appear to be obvious to anyone but the chairman of the Racing Board.

The Judicial Control Authority works as well as that system can work and chief stipendiary steward Cameron George is one of the world's best.

"The betting systems."

What systems are those?

The only problem seems to be the skinny odds our TAB offers punters, compared with some Australian outlets, despite the nearly $1 million-a-year chief executive Stiassny's Racing Board employee recently assuring us that our TAB will have the world's best odds by 2015. Why will that take five years?

We need it now.

The integrity issue is one Wheeler will not leave alone.

"How dare these people suggest there is a lack of integrity.

"We have the best integrity of any racing jurisdiction in the world - we are miles ahead of Australia, which everyone keeps quoting as the world's best example of racing.

"What are they saying - that people like myself, Mark Walker, Frank and Shaune Ritchie, Trevor and Stephen McKee are cheats?

"Similarly, Bill Sanders, Colin Jillings and Noel Eales before us.

"That's a disgrace.

"I know of five trainers in Melbourne, who, in recent years, have between them had more positive swabs than all the trainers in New Zealand in my lifetime.

"People like Stiassny and Carter are so out of touch and here they are running our business.

"Racing's integrity is streets ahead of that of the politicians."

Michael Stiassny has worked in high finance.

Where has the integrity been in that industry in the past decade?

His comment that "the racing industry has been subject of bad publicity for many years on all of these counts" was unfortunate.

Funny, some of us could reasonably expect it was the Racing Board's job to help look after that.