Whangarei RC 5 August 2023 – R8 – Ace Lawson-Carroll

Evidence:

Following the running of Race 8, the Respondent Apprentice Rider Ace Lawson-Carroll, admitted a charge of careless riding which was filed pursuant to Rule 638(1)(d).  The Information alleged that as the Rider of NAGA EYE, he allowed his mount to shift inwards around the 250m when not sufficiently clear of HEART OF ALLADIN, which had to be checked to avoid the heels of NAGA EYE near the 250m. 

The Respondent acknowledged he understood the Rule and confirmed his admission of the breach. Mr C Gibbs was present to assist.

Rule 638(1)(d) provides: A Rider shall not ride a horse in a manner which the Adjudicative Committee considers to be careless.

Using the available race films, Stipendiary Steward C Simpson demonstrated the incident and identified the horses and Riders concerned.  He said Mr Lawson–Carroll allowed his mount to shift inwards crowding HEART OF ALLADIN, who had established a run to the inside of NAGA EYE. Mr Simpson said that Mr Lawson-Carroll was not his own length and another length clear when he commenced to shift, and that as a result, HEART OF ALLADIN had to check sharply, with the Rider getting unbalanced.

Mr Dooley said that when Mr Lawson-Carroll’s mount commenced shifting ground, he used the whip, which caused the horse to shift in further.

In response, Mr Lawson-Carroll had nothing to add, other than accepting Mr Simpson’s interpretation.

Decision:

As the Respondent admitted the breach, the Adjudicative Committee finds the breach proved.

Submission for Penalty:

Stipendiary Steward A Dooley produced the Respondent’s riding record, which indicated 4 previous breaches under the Careless Riding Rule in the last 12 months, namely;

16/12/22             5 day suspension

28/4/23               5 day suspension

14/5/23               6 day suspension

5/8/23                 6 day suspension

The Respondent has had just over 317 mounts in the past 12 months.

Stipendiary Steward A Dooley said Stewards assessed the level of carelessness to be above the mid range.

The Respondent had received a suspension in a prior race, so any proposed suspension would commence immediately after that suspension had concluded.

In terms of any proposed penalty, the Respondent offered no comment.

Reasons for Penalty:

After considering all submissions, the Adjudicative Committee determined Mr Lawson-Carroll’s carelessness to be above mid range and adopted an 8 day starting point. This conforms with the NZTR Penalty Guide (as of 1 March 2022), which stipulates a mid range starting point being 7 days.

The available films show NAGA EYE was racing about 3 horse widths off the inside running rail approaching the 250m mark, with HEART OF ALLADIN behind, to its inside, finishing strongly and looking to secure a run along the rails. The initial inward shift from NAGA EYE occurred over 2-3 strides, at which point Mr Lawson-Carroll had the opportunity to straighten his mount, instead he chose to use his whip, which resulted in his mount shifting in further. At this point, HEART OF ALLADIN had established a clear run inside NAGA EYE and was less than a length behind.

The ongoing shift placed HEART OF ALLADIN (S Weatherley) in restricted room, having to check abruptly to avoid clipping heels or making contact with the running rail, and significantly compromised the safety of both horse and Rider. As a result, HEART OF ALLADIN became unbalanced, lost momentum and all chance of finishing in a better position.

At the time of the interference, NAGA EYE would have been no more than ¾ length ahead of HEART OF ALLADIN.

After consideration of the above factors, from the starting point of 8 days, the Adjudicative Committee issued a penalty of 9 days. This penalty reflected a 1 day uplift from the starting point to reflect Mr Lawson-Carroll’s record, which was now considered poor.

Conclusion:

The Respondent’s Licence to ride in races is suspended for a period of 9 days, commencing after racing on the 18th of August and concluding after racing on the 31st  of August.