A harness racing insider says he has no confidence in the Office of Racing Integrity and wants it replaced with a body that can "adequately police" the sport.
On Sunday, an ABC investigation aired allegations of unusual races and betting patterns in races dominated by horses from trainer Ben Yole's stable, as well as concerns about animal welfare standards.
The stable in Sidmouth in Tasmania's north dominates most race fields in the state, filling some races entirely with their own horses.
Former harness racing driver and current trainer Gavin Kelly told ABC Radio Hobart he believed a lot of the problems "are caused by the Office of Racing Integrity (ORI) being asleep at the wheel".
He said he called ORI general manager Justin Helmich in August last year, to alert him to concerns he had about the integrity of a steward.
"I was very strong with my convictions, so much so that he called me out on my tone on my language," Mr Kelly said.
"He was due to go on holidays in two weeks' time, he was going to deal with that on his return.
"He guaranteed there would be an investigation, he even said he'd spoken to the member involved.
"I haven't heard from him. I had to call him yesterday about other issues. I raised it with him and he doesn't even recall the conversation.
"I would like the ORI shut down and a real body established with adequate funding to really police our industry," Mr Kelly said.
He said he was "scared" of ORI and became emotional when discussing his future in the industry.
"They wield so much power and they use it," he said.
"The Office of Racing Integrity let you know they hold all the power. It's scary.
"I've got to turn up and race under their policing, potentially [on] Friday [and] Sunday this week.
"That's why people don't want to put their head on the chopping block.
"You wouldn't drive past the police at the end of your street if you'd raised concerns about their integrity."
The Office of Racing Integrity boss, Mr Helmich, who spoke to ABC Radio Hobart's Leon Compton after Mr Kelly's interview said he "absolutely has confidence in the stewards".
"I don't have the background to what Mr Kelly said, I wasn't listening," he responded, "but I have absolute confidence in the stewards — they are skilled and experienced people."
On Monday, Racing Minister Madeleine Ogilvie announced an independent review would investigate allegations of team driving and race fixing, and serious animal welfare concerns.
Mr Helmich said he did not intend to stand down while the review was being done.
"I haven't been asked to stand down and I will certainly await the outcome of the review," he said.
Mr Helmich said he was aware of most of the claims made in the ABC report before it went to air, but not the allegations about a spike in betting activity at a Burnie harness race, just before a surprise win by an outsider.
"That was the first that the ORI was aware of that betting plunge," he said.
"Stewards have the opportunity when reviewing races to seek information in relation to betting but that doesn't happen in each and every race.
"The stewards in that race found that the actions were satisfactory."
'It is blatant,' trainer says of harness racing issues
Harness racing driver Mattew Cooper also told ABC Radio Hobart he had "no confidence" in the oversight of his industry.
"There are a lot of people in harness racing who are really glad this has come to the fore," he said.
"I watch a lot of harness racing in Tasmania and it is blatant. We talk among ourselves and we know what's happening and we can't understand how the stewards can't see it."
The announcement of an independent review comes after the minister, Ms Ogilvie, earlier said a review would be done by the Office of Racing Integrity itself.
Asked about the conflict at a press conference on Monday, Ms Ogilvie said "new information has come to light" and the review would now be done externally.
"It's obvious that this investigation needs to be independent," she said.
"Terms of reference will be developed and publicly available and an appropriate independent expert will be appointed.
"The Office of Racing Integrity will also employ a betting analyst to assist across all three codes of racing, to provide real-time access to information to assist stewards in their inquiries, as well as providing the opportunity to proactively review trends in relation to betting on Tasmanian racing."
In parliament on Tuesday, Ms Ogilvie survived a motion of no confidence when the government used its numbers to defeat it.
Opposition racing spokesman Dean Winter said Ms Ogilvie had taken too long to appropriately act on integrity and animal welfare concerns, and needed to resign.
"Everyone can see she's incompetent, everyone can see that the industry is being hurt by her presence, everyone can see that her overseeing of the Office of Racing Integrity is hurting racing," he said.
"There are race meets happening this week Mr Speaker, and we cannot continue to have this minister overseeing this industry."
Ms Ogilvie said she had referred all credible concerns to the Office of Racing, and yesterday ordered the independent investigation.
"My responses have always been timely, targeted and appropriate and I have not delayed," she said.
"Probity, integrity and animal welfare is the bedrock of our approach to racing, it is incredibly important."
'There's positivity in the air,' industry veteran says
Kent Rattray, an industry veteran who is highly regarded in harness racing circles, spoke to the ABC for its investigation.
Following the report, he says "there's more positivity in the air".
"Everyone is really hoping that change happens," he said.
"We really don't want this review to be a toothless tiger.
"They need to come in and look at everything, from the very top to the very bottom, everything needs to be looked at and it needs to be independent.
"We need to identify where the industry went wrong and make it right."
'Step in right direction,' neighbour says
Janet Ainscow lives next door to the Yole stables.
"I just want a better outcome for the life of the horses," she said.
"And I want the harness racing participants to know and have confidence that if they report an issue or something that's not right, that it'll be properly investigated and followed up."
The ABC investigation revealed extraordinary betting plunges linked to several races — and claims from drivers that they had been asked to cheat.
The ABC is not suggesting that Ben Yole or any of his drivers made bets on any of the races identified in the report.
"The whole system needs a review and hopefully this is a step in the right direction," Ms Ainscow said.
She said she had always been "suspicious" of reviews but hoped the independent review would reveal what industry stalwarts had been saying for years about team driving, race fixing, and the lack of action from the ORI to investigate.
"We've been trying to get this looked into for years and nothing has happened. It's all very sad."
Ms Ainscow currently works as a thoroughbred steward but while working as a harness racing steward she said a Yole driver approached her last year with concerns.
"They told me that they were given instructions on how to drive the horse and what horse they had to let through, which determined the outcome of the race," she said.
She reported it to ORI, but it went no further.
ORI has told the ABC the driver declined to make a formal report — a point the driver disputes.
Review just a 'knee-jerk reaction'
The president of the Launceston Pacing Club, Chester Bullock, said he was not as convinced a review was the right course of action.
"It should never have got to this stage," he said.
"It's a very knee-jerk reaction — we've been calling for change for years."
He has been involved in harness racing for decades and remembers fondly a time when there were dozens of family trainers at meets.
"I can think of at least 20 stables that no longer compete because of how bad it is at the moment," he said.
"So hopefully this review will create a level playing field again so many people who've left, can come back with confidence."
He said he really just wants his friends to come back to racing.
"I don't even bother watching the races anymore … I used to, and I used to love the camaraderie of the races — that's gone now though," he said.
"We want action but most importantly we want the industry we love to be fair again."
Dane Rand has also been involved in the industry for years and he hoped the review would just be the start.
"I believe it's the first of many steps that need to be put in place," he said.
"[The review] will hopefully restore some faith for breeders, owners, trainers, drivers, and the public in harness racing in Tasmania."
Trainer Ben Yole declined to be interviewed, or to answer written questions from the ABC and has described the allegations as "patently false".
