Dwyer and Mulrennan in race fix probe

Secret CD blows lid off race-fixing (Mumbai Mirror)

Secretly-recorded conversation between two British-born jockeys allegedly pre-determining the outcome of races in Mumbai has blown the lid off the sport's biggest race-fixing racket in recent years.

In response to the anonymously recorded CD that landed on his desk in September this year, Royal Western India Turf Club chairman Khusroo Dhunjibhoy called for a meeting with the Turf Club's managing committee and the Board of Appeal as also nominated and professional stewards last Monday.

The authenticity of the CD had already been verified. The alleged conversation was recorded on Saturday, February 13, 2010, between jockeys Martin Dwyer and Paul Mulrennan. In the course of the ten-minute-long conversation — this reporter has seen the transcripts — the two men discussed the possible outcome of the Byramjee Jeejeebhoy Eclipse Stakes of India to be run the next day on Valentine's Day.

Martin Dwyer who allegedly initiated the call tried to convince his fellow jockey about the superiority of Icebreaker, one of the six contenders in the race over another horse Onassis, whichMulrennanwastoridethedayof the February 2010 race.

"She (Icebreaker ) is as good as the horse (Becket) I rode in the Derby if you compare...I am going to back the filly (Icebreaker)." He then goes on to erase Mulrennan's doubts saying, "She should win, she is a good filly mate."

While Icebreaker is owned by Zavaray Poonawalla and his family, Onassis ran under the joint ownership of Vijay Shirke, K N Dhunjibhoy and Farouq Rattonsey.

Dwyer also advises Mulrennan to keep David Allan (Icebreaker's jockey) out of the loop saying 'and leave David out of the loop, he's f****** doesn't have the brain. He is f****** terrified of Paddy (Icebreaker's trainer S Padmanabhan), he just does what is told to him (and) tries to win every race after what happened to him last year'.

Later in the conversation, Mulrennan confides in Dwyer that "Pesi Shroff doesn't even want to run this horse Onassis but the owners want to run the horse."

Dwyer replies: "That is great because your horse (Onassis) is pushing up the price (odds of Icebreaker) there. There is no way I will back that horse (Onassis) within a week, there is no way...so you do what you want, you can f****** back the horse (Onassis) if you want..... she (Icebreaker) is too good'.

Mulrennan then ends that topic saying, 'So I will try and sit..."

A senior RWITC official who was present at the meeting convened by Dhunjibhoy, told this newspaper: "We believe David Allan, who rode Icebreaker and went on to win the Eclipse Stakes, is unaware of what had transpiredbetweenDwyerandMulrennan . Mulrennan, who was astride Onassis, never makes any headway in the race before finishing fourth. These jockeys apparently worked in tandem for their own mutual benefit. We can only speculate on how many such incidents have taken place before and after the Eclipse Stakes' race," he said.

Since the race was run three years back, RWITC stewards cannot take any retrospective penal action. But the RWITC is taking these revelations seriously . "We recently decided to implement a whistle-blower policy and any vital information, like the CD, is welcome . This helps us protect the sport's integrity,"said Khushroo Dhunjibhoy.

"No incriminating evidence like this was ever found against foreign jockeys but this recording busts the myth that they don't indulge in any wrongdoing. We have learnt our lesson and will make every effort to ensure that professionals, both Indian and foreign, don't violate the integrity of the sport. Owners will now have to be extremely careful about the credentials of the foreign jockeys they want to hire."

"Personally, I was devastated when Iheard this conversation since Mulrennan was retained by us for that season," said Dhunjibhoy.

Martin Dwyer, who won the prestigious Epsom Derby in 2006, has already been indicted for malpractice by the RWITC for a separate incident.

On February 17 this year, he escaped an attack by furious punters who believed he had thrown a race while he rode the race favourite, a horse named Ice Age. He was handed a 56-day riding ban last month. However, RWITC's counterpart the British Horseracing Authority, considered Dwyer's appeal against this decision favourably, and declined to reciprocate his punishment citing procedural lacunae in RWITC's disciplinary hearing.

When we tried to get in touch with Dwyer for this story, we were told he was unavailable as he was away at the races. Mulrennan too could not be contacted as he had taken a tumble while racing and was bed-ridden with extensive injuries.