NZ Metro TC 7 November 2025 – R2 – ROYAL BELLE

Following the running of Race 2, Majestic Horse Floats LP Pace, an Information instigating a protest was filed by Chief Stipendiary Steward, Nigel McIntyre, alleging that “ROYAL BELLE (Kerry Hadfield), placed 2nd by the Judge, shifted inwards in the run home dictating EDICT (Tim Williams), which was leading, down the track which resulted in SHE’S A LADY (John Morrison) being denied access to the passing lane”.

Present at the protest hearing, in addition to Mr McIntyre, were Kerry Hadfield (named as the Respondent), Trainer/Driver of ROYAL BELLE, and John Morrison, Trainer /Driver of EDICT.

The Judge’s placings were as follows:

1st    6   Edict

2nd   1   Royal Belle

3rd    4   She’s A Lady

4th    2   Gotta Lather Up

Rule 869A provides as follows:

(2)     When a placed horse or its driver causes interference to another placed horse and the Adjudicative Committee is satisfied that the horse interfered with would have finished ahead of the horse that, or whose driver, caused the interference the Adjudicative Committee must, in addition to any other penalty that may be imposed, place the horse that, or whose driver, caused the interference immediately after the horse interfered with.

EVIDENCE:

Chief Stipendiary Steward, Nigel McIntyre showed the available video replays (Trackside and head-on) of the final 200 metres of the race. He pointed out EDICT in the lead against the markers and outside it was ROYAL BELLE. SHE’S A LADY had been racing wide, as the field turned into the final straight. Mr Morrison then elected to shift down onto the leader’s back. The lead horse turning for home was EDICT, Mr McIntyre said.

Entering the passing lane, the head of EDICT was turned outwards, shifting inwards, Mr McIntyre said. However, Mr Morrison had shifted to the inside of EDICT, where there was a clear run for her to the inside of EDICT. ROYAL BELLE, on the outside of EDICT, was gradually taking that runner down into the passing lane, resulting in Mr Morrison being denied access to the passing lane, he said.

Mr Morrison was forced to shift wider on the track at about the 100 metres and get to the outside wheel of Mr Hadfield, Mr McIntyre said. Stewards believed that, had Mr Hadfield not continued to shift in and force EDICT down to where there had been a clear run for Mr Morrison, then it is likely that SHE’S A LADY would have beaten ROYAL BELLE, he said.

Mr Morrison said that he was entitled to the passing lane, and had been denied access to it. However, he was not sure whether all of the blame could be attributed to ROYAL BELLE, as EDICT had hung in and ran down the track before Mr Hadfield’s runner had come down as well. He had finished only a head from 2nd, he said.

Mr Hadfield, with reference to the head-on video replay, submitted that Mr Williams was “working on” his runner to keep it from hanging in. It had angled into the passing lane and his horse had gone with it, he said. The two horses had “briefly touched” before he came out again. That was well into the passing lane, he submitted. He agreed that Mr Morrison’s runner had been denied a run, but it was not his horse that caused it, he said. The lead horse, EDICT, had been hanging in the whole race and went into the passing lane by itself, he submitted.

Mr McIntyre said that it was only when ROYAL BELLE and EDICT touched, that the gap closed for Mr Morrison.

DECISION:

The protest was upheld.

REASONS FOR DECISION:

In terms of the Protest Rule, the first task for the Adjudicative Committee is to determine whether interference had taken place. Interference means “any conduct referred to in Rule 869 which interferes or is likely to interfere with the progress of any horse in a race”.

The Adjudicative Committee is satisfied that the action of ROYAL BELLE shifting in and forcing EDICT down into the passing lane, thereby denying SHE’S A LADY the run to which it was entitled, clearly amounted to interference.

Having so found, the next task for the Adjudicative Committee was to determine whether, but for that interference, SHE’S A LADY would have finished ahead of ROYAL BELLE. This was not difficult. When the run in the passing lane closed, Mr Morrison was forced to ease his runner out across and to the outside of EDICT and ROYAL BELLE, from where it finished fast to get within a head of ROYAL BELLE. The Adjudicative Committee was comfortably satisfied that it would have finished ahead of ROYAL BELLE but for the interference which, the Adjudicative Committee has found, occurred.

Relegation of ROYAL BELLE is discretionary. The Adjudicative Committee exercised its discretion to uphold the protest and relegate ROYAL BELLE.

CONCLUSION:

The protest was upheld and ROYAL BELLE is relegated to 3rd placing. Consequent upon the relegation, the amended result for the race is as follows:

1st    6   Edict

2nd   4   She’s A Lady

3rd    1   Royal Belle

4th    2   Gotta Lather Up

It was ordered that dividends and stakes be paid in accordance with the above amended placings.