Police are investigating alleged race fixing at Cranbourne, which came to light during the murder investigation of racing identity Les Samba.By Bridget Cook
VICTORIA Police are investigating an allegation of a race being fixed at Cranbourne, which was uncovered during the murder investigation of racing identity Les Samba.
Deputy Commissioner Graham Ashton confirmed that police were investigating the race won by Smoking Aces at Cranbourne on 27 April last year.
Horse racing trainer Mr Samba, 60, was gunned down in Beaconsfield Parade, Middle Park, on February 27 last year.
Mr Ashton said information of the race fixing came to light during the murder investigation of Mr Samba by Purana Taskforce detectives.
“If they could deal with this race fixing allegation, it may assist us with solving the murder,” he said.
“It’s just one of a number of lines of inquiry being followed.
“It’s too early to say yes, this race fixing allegation is linked to the murder.”
Mr Ashton said police were only focussing on the one race.
“The racing integrity body might by looking at broader issues, but we are focusing on this specific allegation,” he said.
“While it’s a significant issue, we need to ensure that integrity in racing is maintained. It is just one race in a big, huge industry.”
Racing Victoria (RV) chief executive Rob Hines said RV had welcomed the investigation.
“We welcome Victoria Police’s renewed focus on racing related crime and reiterate the need for a collaborative approach to limit the opportunities for illegal activities in our sport,” he said.
“We have been working closely with the Racing Integrity Commissioner, Sal Perna, and Victoria Police for a number of months on this matter and have been co-operating fully with them.”
Mr Hines reiterated said that their probe into race fixing pertained to one race only.
“The allegation pertains to one race at Cranbourne and we are now waiting for the Victoria Police investigation to reach a stage where we can legally obtain information that can be used as evidence to open a stewards’ inquiry,” he said.
“Racing is a huge industry and the majority of people who participate and interact with our sport do so in a legitimate manner, but, as in all walks of life, there will always be a small minority who attempt to break the rules.
“That is why we invest significantly in our Integrity Department.”
