http://www.theaustralian.com.au/sport/out-of-jail-munce-jockeys-for-career/story-e6frg7mf-1111117905819
NOT many prisoners hold a press conference on the day they are released from jail. But yesterday, wearing a smart striped suit, a beaming Chris Munce, one of Australia's leading jockeys, did just that.
A couple of hours earlier, Munce had left Sydney's Silverwater jail, in jeans and a T-shirt, after spending 13 months behind bars in Australia following six months in Hong Kong.
Arriving at his old stomping ground, Sydney's Randwick racecourse, Munce shook hands with some of his many friends in the racing industry. He then read a prepared statement to the media, declining to answer any questions.
The Melbourne Cup-winning hoop was arrested by anti-corruption officials in Hong Kong in July 2006 carrying almost $50,000 worth of Hong Kong dollars in his pocket and with a piece of paper allegedly relating to bets on races.
Munce was found guilty of selling racing tips and jailed in Hong Kong in March last year. Under an agreement brokered by government officials, he was transferred to Australia six months later.
Munce said his two goals in life now were to spend time with his wife and three children and to resume his racing career.
"I have no doubt I will return to the top and race many winners," he said. "I feel refreshed and reinvigorated, positive and excited about what the future holds."
Munce, 39, said the past months had been tough for him and his family, and he could barely describe the relief he felt at being free.
He paid tribute to his "remarkable" wife, Cathy, who he said had been an inspiration and source of strength, as well as to his children, who he said had come through the ordeal well.
"A man could not be more proud of his children than I am," he said.
Munce could be riding again within weeks, depending on the outcome of a stewards inquiry by the Hong Kong Jockey Club. The inquiry is separate to the judicial procedures he has undergone, and jurisdictions around the world respect penalties against jockeys made in other countries.
Meanwhile, Munce's jockey licence has lapsed in Australia. Head of Racing NSW Peter V'landys said officials here would be making a decision after the Hong Kong stewards investigation.
"From our perspective, we believe 20 months jail by Australian community standards is harsh and over the top for what he did," Mr V'landys said. "Munce is a very popular jockey of the highest stature, highly regarded by his peers and trainers. Everybody in the racing fraternity in Australia believes he has been treated extremely harshly."
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