Auckland TR 19 September 2026 – R1 – Kyle Wilson-Taylor

Background:

Following the running of race 1, the Respondent, Class A Rider Kyle Wilson-Taylor, admitted a charge of careless riding, which was filed pursuant to Rule 638(1)(d).  The Information alleged that as the Rider of Magnate, he committed a breach in that he angled his mount Magnate “outwards when not sufficiently clear of Royce”, which was checked at the 200m mark.

Mr Wilson-Taylor 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.

Evidence:

Using the available race films, Deputy Chief Stipendiary Steward Brady Jones demonstrated the incident and identified the horses and Riders concerned. He identified that approaching the 200 metre mark, Mr Wilson-Taylor has initially angled his mount to take an inside run that had presented to him. However, that run was taken by Mr Rooke riding SHORE BREEZE. Mr Wilson-Taylor, in then endeavouring to move outwards, has shifted out sharply, causing a check to Mr Kennedy riding ROYCE, who was checked out of the race. Mr Rooke has not contributed to the incident, as he was entitled to take the run that he did. Mr Brady was of the view that Mr Rooke was 2 lengths ahead of Mr Wilson-Taylor, when he took the inside running.

In response, Mr Wilson-Taylor stated that his mount was tractable, racing generously and he was building into a run on the inside to take advantage of a run presented by Mr Rooke.  However, he was not quite there and had to change course.  In changing course, his mount has overreacted and shifted out sharply due to greenness, which has had the effect of taking Mr Kennedy’s line and causing the interference. Mr Wilson-Taylor said that he did not intend to shift out and that on any other horse, it would have been neat. It was just the greenness of the horse that completely overreacted.  He gave his mount a tap on the shoulder to straighten it up.  He added that the film showed that after the interference, his mount continued to race greenly.

Decision:

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

Submissions for Penalty:

Chief Stipendiary Steward Mr Oatham advised that Mr Wilson-Taylor, has recently moved to New Zealand from Australia, having had 57 rides since his arrival. He has a clear record since his arrival. He is an experienced Jockey – his last breach was at Morphettville on 25 July 2026, where he received a suspension of 3 days.   Mr Oatham submitted that his record should be taken as neutral.

Mr Oatham submitted that there was a significant check to Mr Kennedy’s mount, but accepted that MAGNATE was travelling greenly and was hanging in, which contributed to the incident. He referred to the fact that MAGNATE came out very quickly.

The Stewards assessed the level of carelessness to be in the low / mid-range, with a penalty starting point of 6 days.

Mr Wilson-Taylor wished to add nothing to the Steward’s submissions on penalty, other than repeated the submission that his mount ran very greenly. His submitted that his action was not a rush of blood to the head, in that he was wanting to win the race by this action, saying that he was trying to keep going in a forward motion. His intention was to perform a minor movement and was taken by surprise, by his mount’s sharp outward reaction. He considers in all the circumstance, that the level of carelessness should be seen as low level.

Mr Wilson-Taylor advised of riding engagements through until 26 September and sought a deferment to any proposed suspension.

Reasons for Penalty:

After considering the available film and all submissions, the Adjudicative Committee determined Mr Wilson-Taylor’s carelessness to be in the low range and adopted a 5-day suspension as the starting point. This conforms with the NZTR Penalty Guide (as of 1 March 2022).

The available films clearly established that Mr Wilson-Taylor was angling his mount inwards, to take an inside run. When that option closed, he moved outwards. His mount clearly overreacted. It is accepted that greenness contributed greatly to this overreaction. Mr Wilson-Taylor had rightly looked to shift outwards and had been surprised by his mount’s action.

The Respondent’s riding record is treated as a neutral factor and a 1-day reduction was applied to the 5-day starting point, for his admission of the breach.

After consideration of the above factors, a 4-day suspension was deemed an appropriate penalty on this occasion.

Conclusion:

The Respondent’s request for a deferment is granted and his Licence to ride in races is suspended for a period of 4 days, commencing after racing on 26 September 2026 and concluding after racing on 3 October 2026.