Yesterday evening, as we were leaving the Mei Lam Estate car park in Tai Wai after enjoying a game of badminton, it was announced on the RTHK news that Australian jockey Chris Munce had been cleared to ride in New South Wales.
Munce, fittingly born in a town called Casino, wassent to jail last year for the crime of "gaining a material advantage from his work without the knowledge of his employer", an offence which appears to exist only in Hong Kong. He was given a two and a half year prison sentence for giving tips for cash, and pretty good tips they were too, if I recall correctly, as 25 percent of the horses he tipped went on to win, with him on board to steer them home. Munce was in effect backing his own horses to win, which seems far from criminal to me, but as we shall see the Hong Kong Jockey Club isn't so keen on rewarding winners.
On Monday, the monopoly in charge of gambling in Hong Kong added to his punishment bydisqualifying Munce, released on 30 October, from riding anywhere in the world until September 2009.
The racing authorities in New South Wales reacted to this development by saying, "Struth, mate, enough's enough! The bloke's served his time, you can't punish him twice for the same offence, and anyway he didn't break the rules of racing, just your ridiculous law."
As he considered his response to this lack of fealty, chief executive of the HKJC, Winfreid Engelbrecht-Bresges, was clearly struggling to keep the toys in the cot:
"The unprecedented decision of Racing NSW not to reciprocate the penalty of 30 months disqualification from racing on Christopher Munce is in breach of the International Federation of Horseracing Authorities' principle that penalties will automatically be reciprocated whenever natural justice has been afforded."
At last! A German with a sense of humour. To be fair, he's already shown this by routinely closing the accounts of those who win too much money on his horses. As I've pointed out before, this is rather odd, as, according to Winfried, Hong Kong racing is clean, which means that those who win big do so by being talented and hard-working, qualities you'd have thought he'd be keen to encourage and reward.
But, I am saving the best till last. The RTHK news segment included an interview with Winfried's number two, Director of Racing Bill Nader. The American sounded even more frumious than his boss. Picking up one of the toys that Winnie had jettisoned, Nader proceeded to tear it limb from limb, dismembering the English language in the process, as he chuntered on about it being "a dark day for race horsing internationally".
Munce, fittingly born in a town called Casino, was
On Monday, the monopoly in charge of gambling in Hong Kong added to his punishment by
The racing authorities in New South Wales reacted to this development by saying, "Struth, mate, enough's enough! The bloke's served his time, you can't punish him twice for the same offence, and anyway he didn't break the rules of racing, just your ridiculous law."
As he considered his response to this lack of fealty, chief executive of the HKJC, Winfreid Engelbrecht-Bresges, was clearly struggling to keep the toys in the cot:
"The unprecedented decision of Racing NSW not to reciprocate the penalty of 30 months disqualification from racing on Christopher Munce is in breach of the International Federation of Horseracing Authorities' principle that penalties will automatically be reciprocated whenever natural justice has been afforded."
At last! A German with a sense of humour. To be fair, he's already shown this by routinely closing the accounts of those who win too much money on his horses. As I've pointed out before, this is rather odd, as, according to Winfried, Hong Kong racing is clean, which means that those who win big do so by being talented and hard-working, qualities you'd have thought he'd be keen to encourage and reward.
But, I am saving the best till last. The RTHK news segment included an interview with Winfried's number two, Director of Racing Bill Nader. The American sounded even more frumious than his boss. Picking up one of the toys that Winnie had jettisoned, Nader proceeded to tear it limb from limb, dismembering the English language in the process, as he chuntered on about it being "a dark day for race horsing internationally".
"Has this guy got a speech impediment?" asked my daughter.
"Sounds like it," I replied. "Maybe he should do the handicapping."
2 comments:
During Munce's incarceration in Hong Kong he wasn't allowed to see his wife and children. Talk about punishment not fitting the crime!
Tut, tut, Nonnie, Winnie's explained that was natural justice.
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