Auckland TC 22 August 2025 – R7 – Benjamin Butcher

Summary of Facts:

Following the running of Race 7, the Respondent Mr B Butcher, admitted a breach of Rule 869(3)(b); namely that he drove carelessly when contacting the sulky wheel of DRAGONSTONE near the 150m, resulting in his horse SHESGOLD breaking and losing all chance.

The Respondent endorsed the Information ‘I do admit the breach of the rule’ and confirmed he understood the Rule and the nature of the charge.

Rule 869(3)(b) provides:

No Driver in any race shall drive carelessly.

Using available video footage, Senior Stipendiary Steward Mr S Renault identified the horses involved in the incident namely, SHESGOLD driven by Mr B Butcher and DRAGONSTONE driven by Mr Z Butcher.   He said that near the 150m mark, Mr B Butcher shifted inwards to use the passing land and in doing so, the front left leg of his horse SHESGOLD, struck the sulky wheel of DRAGONSTONE, resulting in SHESGOLD breaking and losing all chance.

In explanation, the Respondent stated he agreed with the Stipendiary Steward’s summary.

Decision:

The charge is admitted by the Respondent and is therefore deemed proved.

Submissions for Penalty:

Stipendiary Steward Mr Renault produced the Respondent’s record, which indicated he has had 66 drives this season, with no breaches of the relevant Rule within the 6 month reset period.

In mitigation, Mr Renault said that the Respondent freely admitted the breach and combined with his good driving record, should be afforded credit.

Mr Renault added that Stewards assessed the breach as low range, but an aggravating factor was that the Respondent’s drive lost all chance as a result of the breach and therefore, a fine of $300 or a two-day suspension would be an appropriate penalty.

The Respondent submitted that he would prefer a suspension as opposed to a fine.

The Respondent initially sought a seven-day deferment to any proposed suspension, but later advised that he wished the suspension to commence immediately.

Reasons for Penalty:

After taking into account the submissions of both the Applicant and Respondent; noting the race film and the resultant impact on the Respondent’s drive SHESGOLD, the Adjudicative Committee assessed the breach as low and adopted a two-day suspension as the starting point.

The Respondent was given credit for his good record and admission of the breach, which offset the aggravating factor of his drive losing all chance.

After evaluating all of the factors, the Adjudicative Committee determined a two- day suspension to be an appropriate penalty in the circumstances of this case.

Conclusion:

The Respondent’s Licence is suspended from the conclusion of racing on Friday 22 August, up to and including racing on Friday 29 August, (2 northern race days).