Auckland TR 11 December 2025 – R4 – George Rooke

Evidence

This charge arises from the running of Race 4, the Show by Sky City 1600. Deputy Chief Stipendiary Steward Mr Jones filed an Information pursuant to Rule 638(1)(d) alleging the Rider of LISTENING (G Rooke), permitted his mount to shift inwards when not sufficiently clear of DUBAI ROCKIN (M Cartwright), which was checked, clipping a heel and blundered near the 75 metres.

Mr Rooke acknowledged he understood the Rule and confirmed his admission of the breach.

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, Senior Stipendiary Steward Mr Dooley demonstrated the incident and identified the horses and Riders involved.

Mr Dooley told the Adjudicative Committee that approaching the 75-metre mark, LISTENING had been held up for a run. He said Mr Rooke then shifted his mount inwards into the running line of DUBAI ROCKIN, who was severely checked, clipped a heel, and blundered. Mr Cartwright had to take a strong hold of DUBAI ROCKIN, stood up, and was unbalanced.

Mr Dooley further explained, that at no point during the incident, was Mr Rooke the required distance clear of the other horse, when he made the decision to shift inwards. He described this movement as an error of judgement on the part of Mr Rooke.

In response, Mr Rooke said “I was trying my hardest and there were three gaps that I could have taken earlier in the straight.” He said that he had waited all the way up the straight for a clear run and thought that when he shifted, he was clear of other runners.

Decision

As Mr Rooke admitted the breach, the Adjudicative Committee found the charge proved.

Submissions for Penalty

Mr Jones advised that Mr Rooke has previously breached the Rule six times during the past 12 months from 561 raceday rides. His most recent breach occurred on 15 November 2025 and resulted in a 6-day suspension. Mr Jones said that Mr Rooke’s record is “not impressive”, inferring that it is a poor record.

Mr Jones said Stewards assessed the level of carelessness to be above mid-range. He said that it was fortunate that Mr Cartwright was not dislodged from his mount. He submitted that any proposed suspension should be commensurate with an above mid-range penalty.

After conferring with his Manager, Mr Rooke sought to defer any proposed suspension and offered no specific submissions as to penalty.

Reasons for Penalty

After considering the submissions and reviewing the race film, the Adjudicative Committee determined Mr Rooke’s carelessness to be slightly above mid-range and adopted an 8-day starting point.

The available films established that Mr Rooke directed his mount inwards into the running line of DUBAI ROCKIN. The shift was abrupt, causing Mr Cartwright to become significantly unbalanced, and as a consequence, his mount lost all chance.

In determining the appropriate penalty, the Adjudicative Committee considered Mr Rooke’s admission of the breach. In recognition of this admission, a reduction of one day was applied to the starting point of the penalty. However, this reduction was offset due to Mr Rooke’s disciplinary record, as this incident represented his seventh breach of the Rule within the past 12 months. While it is acknowledged that Mr Rooke is an active and busy Rider, the frequency of breaches now categorises his record as poor. Accordingly, a one-day uplift was imposed to reflect the seriousness of his record. As a result, the final penalty imposed is an 8-day suspension.

Conclusion

The Adjudicative Committee granted Mr Rooke a deferment to his suspension and his Licence to ride in races is suspended for a period of 8 days, beginning after racing on 19 December 2025 and concluding after racing on 31 December 2025.