259. (1) A disqualified person or a person whose name appears in the current list of disqualifications published or adopted by a recognised harness racing authority or a person warned off cannot do any of the following –
(a) associate or communicate with persons connected with the harness racing industry for purposes relating to that industry;
(h) participate in any manner in the harness racing industry.
(j) place, or have placed on their behalf, or have any other interest in, a bet on any Australian harness racing race.
(k) associate with licensed persons connected with the thoroughbred or greyhound racing industry including but not limited to entering any premises owned or occupied by such licensed persons.
Australian Rules of Harness Racing
Ryan Duffy is a disqualified person.
He is serving a 15 month disqualification for horse doping and other offences.
His disqualification is in place until 9 September 2022.
As a disqualified person Duffy is subject to the prescriptions of the rules detailed above.
Duffy’s primary offence was that he, in the company of licensed trainer Zac Steenhius, stomach tubed a horse named Bonnie Kash with the banned substances bicarbonate of soda and ‘Restore’ on the day it was due to compete in a race at Mildura.
His secondary offences were running away from the HRV Stewards when caught in a surprise stable inspection, and subsequently lying to the HRV Stewards about his involvement in the matters.
I stress the HRV because it stands for the Principal Racing Authority named Harness Racing Victoria, and proves definitively that HRV had intimate knowledge of Duffy’s disqualification and the matters that led to it.
Click to access VRT%20Penalty%20Decision%20-%20Ryan%20Duffy%20-%209%20JUN%202021.pdf
Harness Racing Victoria owns and operates the website thetrots.com.
This website trots.com.au ran a tipping competition called Trotstars which was based on the results of ID21.
The prize for the winner of the competition was $500 TAB voucher,
Ryan Duffy, the son of the owners of Boncel Benjamin and its former race driver, won the Trotstars competition.
As a disqualified person Duffy is not permitted to participate in any way in the harness racing industry.
Duffy is not allowed to associate or communicate with persons connected with the harness racing industry for purposes relating to that industry.
He must not place, or have placed on their behalf, or have any other interest in, a bet on any Australian harness racing race.
In all of the circumstances described above, Ryan Duffy was totally prohibited from participating in the HRV run and TAB sponsored Trotstars competition, and all parties knew it.
But they let him do it, and they published the details of his win.
Guess what horse Duffy selected in his stable?
Boncel Benjamin of course.
There is a bigger problem with Ryan Duffy’s participation in the Trotstars competition, a much bigger one.
This is Australian Harness Racing rule AHR.230
Association with disqualified persons
230. Except with the consent of the Controlling Body or Stewards a person shall not associate or communicate for purposes relating to the harness racing industry with a disqualified person or a person whose name appears in the current list of disqualifications published or adopted by a recognised harness racing authority.
Under the rules a “Person” includes an individual, a syndicate, a corporation, a body corporate, and an unincorporated association.
Harness Racing Victoria is a person.
Tabcorp is a person.
Every individual involved in the operation of the Trotstars competition is a person.
Each and every one of them has demonstrably breached the rules of Harness Racing, and are liable to penalty for their actions, for such a breach is an offence.
This is what the Deputy Chair of Harness Racing Victoria Dr Catherine Ainsworth said in a Q&A published on the HRV owned and operated website thetrots.com.au earlier this year.
What does integrity mean to you?
Integrity is all about fairness, honesty, mutual respect and a level playing field for participants. I want to know that the rules are written in clear language that everyone can understand and that HRV provides education for participants about the acceptable standards. HRV must then be consistent in enforcing compliance with the rules, take action based on evidence and have skilled and diligent people at all levels. It is also about transparency and being willing and able to explain your decisions.
I totally agree with Dr Ainsworth, for she is correct.
HRV must be consistent in enforcing compliance with the rules, and taking action based on evidence.
The evidence of HRV’s egregious breach of the rules is incontrovertible, for it appear on the organisation’s own website.
So what are they going to do?
Clearly HRV must act, for integrity demands it.
But it cannot investigate and adjudicate upon a rule breach committed by itself.
Where do we go from here then?
Let me tell you.
HRV is a unit of public administration, for it is a creation of statute (law), and is accountable to the Racing Minister.
That means that it falls under jurisdiction of IBAC, the Victorian Broad-based Anti-corruption Commission.
Matters such as these also fall under the jurisdiction of ORIC, the Office of the Racing Integrity Commissioner.
Harness Racing Victoria must therefore refer the matter of Ryan Duffy’s participation and success in the Trotstars competition to both of these bodies for investigation.
Public confidence in the sport of harness racing demands it.
Integrity does too.
We watch and wait to see what happens next with interest.