Graham among harness drivers charged

Queensland’s leading harness racing driver Shane Graham, who has represented Australia in championships, has been charged with two counts of race-fixing.

He was the seventh harness racing person in Queensland who has recently been charged with offences involving rigged races or betting irregularities.

Queensland Racing Integrity Commissioner Ross Barnett says he has suspended the training and harness driving licences of Graham, 35, under the Standard for Licensing Scheme.

“The scheme allows the commission to immediately suspend any licence where the licence holder has been charged with match-fixing,” he said.

Graham is one of three people arrested on Saturday as part of a police operation tackling match-fixing and other offences in the harness code.

“I have also suspended the licence of driver 18-year-old Leonard Thomas Cain,” Mr Barnett said.

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Cain and a former trainer of one of the horses involved in a relevant race were also charged with match-fixing as part of the operation on Saturday.

The former trainer’s name has not been released.

Graham represented Australia in the World Harness Driving Championships in Canada this year and won the Queensland State Drivers Premiership in October for the third consecutive year after guiding home 185 winners.

Cain is employed as a concession driver and is ranked ninth in the Queensland State Drivers Premierships, with 20 wins from 177 starts following his maiden drive at Redcliffe last year.

“These latest arrests now take the number of match-fixing arrests in the harness code to seven,” Mr Barnett said.

“This should send the clearest message to participants that if you do the wrong thing and undermine the integrity of the sport then we are coming after you.”