Happy Sunrise Posted January 24, 2021 Share Posted January 24, 2021 Matt Anderson's ban for doing an ecstasy deal with drivers finishes very soon. It was 6 months from August 1 last year. I see he is unlicensed but does anyone know if he will be reapplying? The spanner in the works is his subsequent assault conviction which would stop him going onto a racecourse for two years unless he is exempted by one of the RIU's committees. His future in harness seems to be in the hands of the RIU, not the courts. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
richie Posted January 25, 2021 Share Posted January 25, 2021 Even when he is allowed on a racecourse they can still determine that he is not of character to hold a licence Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Happy Sunrise Posted January 25, 2021 Author Share Posted January 25, 2021 2 hours ago, richie said: Even when he is allowed on a racecourse they can still determine that he is not of character to hold a licence Will he even try to come back? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
richie Posted January 25, 2021 Share Posted January 25, 2021 5 minutes ago, Happy Sunrise said: Will he even try to come back? I'm sure he will.I suppose he could get a job at Lone Star Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Happy Sunrise Posted January 28, 2021 Author Share Posted January 28, 2021 Right on cue... And the muppets who say they support harness racing lay blame direct their attention at Van Beynen's feet for writing an article against harness racing. How thick are some people? Honestly, they are just are so thick and clueless it defies belief. He won't write articles if ammunition is not given to him. The only person who is responsible for this mess is Anderson himself. HRNZ should stick to its rules and only allow him back when whatever sanction given to him is truly over. The only thing worse in society at the moment than bashing a horse is bashing a woman. Proven in court by the way, not just alleged. If HRNZ want to get involved with this kind of shit they can take heat for it and expect another round of Van Beyen articles and they will fully deserve it. And to think Anderson drove for Kerr. A former harness racing star who kicked and choked a woman, leaving her fearing for her life, wants to become a trainer and is receiving support from industry figures. Matt Anderson is a former New Zealand representative and national premiership-winning harness racing driver who is banned from racecourses until at least next year due to his criminal offending. Two racing industry figures – former trainer Peter Jones and former Harness Racing New Zealand (HRNZ) chairman Ken Spicer – have recently met with new HRNZ chief executive Gary Woodham to discuss a “pathway” for Anderson to get back into the industry. Spicer is still on the board of HRNZ. Jones, whose stepdaughter is Anderson’s partner, has publicly stated he believes racing needs a better mechanism for getting people like Anderson back into the sport. He points to rugby as a template for rehabilitating errant players. Spicer, in a series of text messages, said Anderson had approached him as a friend to “help him understand what the process is around trying to get a pathway back into the industry” as a trainer. “If a young person asks for assistance I will assist them. It's only you journos looking for another negative story that worry about how it may look [for a person in his position to be seen to support Anderson],” Spicer, a horse breeder, told Stuff. “There is a process to follow, rules to be adhered to and a stringent licensing criteria to be met.” It was not “his call” to decide whether Anderson deserved to be allowed back into racing, he said. Anderson said it would be inappropriate for him to comment. Under harness racing rules, Anderson is banned from racecourses for at least two years. He can apply for an exemption but that is rarely granted within the ban period. At the expiry of the ban he will still need to apply for an exemption and will also need to meet character requirements to qualify for a training licence. Matt Anderson was discharged without conviction on drugs charges at the Christchurch District Court last year. In November, Anderson was sentenced to three months’ community detention and 12 months’ intense supervision after he was found guilty of charges of assault and strangulation in a judge-alone trial at the Christchurch District Court. The court heard how he grabbed his victim around the neck and choked her, then threw her out of his house and locked the door to prevent her from getting her car keys that were still inside. The victim managed to crawl through an open window, but was assaulted and kicked in the side of the face as she lay on the ground. The victim called 111 and told the emergency operator she thought Anderson was going to kill her. She was told to run towards the road. She jumped into a ditch and hid until she saw a police car arrive. Anderson’s racecourse ban came after a six-month stand-down imposed on August 1 after he was charged for acts deemed detrimental to the interests of harness racing. It related to a district court appearance where he was discharged without conviction after admitting possessing the party drug MDMA for supply, and two charges of supplying MDMA. Woodham, a former high-level member of the TAB's executive team, who recently took over as chief executive of HRNZ, did not respond to messages. However, Woodham told The Star the meeting with Jones and Spicer was an opportunity to discuss many aspects of Anderson’s case. “I must emphasise, however, that it was an informal meeting and not an official request for reinstatement,” he said. “The upshot of those discussions, and subsequent inquiries regarding eligibility, is that Matt Anderson is not able to be reinstated and that is unlikely to change in the foreseeable future.” Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Happy Sunrise Posted January 28, 2021 Author Share Posted January 28, 2021 26 minutes ago, Happy Sunrise said: “The upshot of those discussions, and subsequent inquiries regarding eligibility, is that Matt Anderson is not able to be reinstated and that is unlikely to change in the foreseeable future.” I should read the article more closely. Anderson is not coming back anytime soon given this sentence. First test for Woodham in his new job and he seems to have passed. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rusty Posted January 29, 2021 Share Posted January 29, 2021 Canterbury mornings with Chris Lynch on Newstalk ZB also covered this story. The angle was when should people be given a second chance, and when should they not. Without wanting to state the obvious, it really wasn't a good look for harness racing. But one can only hope the audience tuning into Chris' show that day, realise that there are bad eggs in many different industries, fields of employment and sectors of society etc. And the majority of people in racing are hard working, down to earth people that will help others out, especially in times of need. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rusty Posted January 29, 2021 Share Posted January 29, 2021 14 minutes ago, Rusty said: the majority of people in racing are hard working, down to earth people that will help others out, especially in times of need. I wasn't specifically refering to Jones and Spicer helping out Anderson, when I wrote this. Nothing against those two gentlemen, but I was more thinking about the everyday people, like the owners, stable hands, trackwork riders, strappers, trainers, drivers, jockeys, vets, etc. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Happy Sunrise Posted January 29, 2021 Author Share Posted January 29, 2021 57 minutes ago, Rusty said: Without wanting to state the obvious, it really wasn't a good look for harness racing. But one can only hope the audience tuning into Chris' show that day, realise that there are bad eggs in many different industries, fields of employment and sectors of society etc. And the majority of people in racing are hard working, down to earth people that will help others out, especially in times of need. The Peter Davis and Margo Nyhan situation exemplified this trait in the industry of helping out in times of need but the "bad eggs" are pretty prominent at the moment. 1 hour ago, Rusty said: The angle was when should people be given a second chance, and when should they not. I do know there are a small percentage of people in society who never change and are incapable of change and will continue to do bad things to others. The question is whether these harness boys fall into this category. If not, then they could be given a second chance at some stage but that is up to the people who are in charge. I think in Matt Anderson's case he needs to see out his full penalties before being reconsidered for a license. Same for Mitchell Kerr and whatever he receives. Assault and alleged stealing from clients are about as big as it gets other than doping your horses to go faster. Part of getting back in the game is taking your penalty and accepting it. Trying to circumvent it will win you no friends in my view. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rusty Posted January 29, 2021 Share Posted January 29, 2021 1 hour ago, Happy Sunrise said: The Peter Davis and Margo Nyhan situation exemplified this trait in the industry of helping out in times of need Dead right. Ellie Barron and Ricky May another example. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Happy Sunrise Posted January 29, 2021 Author Share Posted January 29, 2021 47 minutes ago, Rusty said: Dead right. Ellie Barron and Ricky May another example. And me taking it easy on you if we go head to head in the comp 😂 Just joking Rusty. Hope you are 100% 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rusty Posted January 29, 2021 Share Posted January 29, 2021 1 hour ago, Happy Sunrise said: And me taking it easy on you if we go head to head in the comp 😂 Just joking Rusty. Hope you are 100% Fully recovered, fighting fit now, thanks mate. 1 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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