Auckland TR 7 November 2023 – R5 – Triston Moodley

Evidence:

Following the running of Race 5, the Respondent Apprentice Rider Triston Moodley, admitted a charge of careless riding which was filed pursuant to Rule 638(1)(d).  The Information alleged that as the Rider of ACADEMY AWARD, he permitted his mount to shift inwards when not sufficiently clear of ALABAMA GOLD, which was forced into the line of MASTER PARK, which clipped a heel and blundered at the 25 metres. 

The Respondent acknowledged he understood the Rule and confirmed his admission of the breach. Apprentice Mentor Noel Harris 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 B Jones demonstrated the incident and identified the horses and Riders concerned.

Stipendiary Steward Jones said that late in the home straight, while riding his mount forward, Mr Moodley allowed his mount to shift inwards, forcing ALABAMA GOLD into the line of MASTER PARK, which clipped a heel. He said that Mr Moodley shifted in 1-2 horse widths and should have stopped riding and straightened his mount. Mr Jones concluded by saying at the time of the interference, Mr Moodley was only ½ neck to a neck ahead of the runners to his inside.

Mr Moodley offered no comment in relation to the incident.

Decision:

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

Submission for Penalty:

Chief Stipendiary Steward J Oatham produced the Respondent’s riding record, which indicated 3  previous breaches under the Careless Riding Rule in the last 12 months, namely;

1/7/23 – 6 days

16/9/23 – 4 days

4/10/23 – 4 days

Mr Moodley has had 129 mounts in the past 12 months.

Chief Stipendiary Steward Oatham said Stewards assessed the level of carelessness to be in the mid-range.

The Respondent advised of riding engagements through until the 11th of November and sought a deferment to any proposed suspension.  Mr Moodley had nothing further to add.

Reasons for Penalty:

After considering all submissions, the Adjudicative Committee determined Mr Moodley’s carelessness to be in the mid-range and adopted a 7-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 Moodley took no corrective action to straighten his mount inside the last 50 metres of the race, which resulted in tightening to runners on his inside. As a consequence, MASTER PARK clipped a heel and almost dislodged its Rider J Chung.

The Adjudicative Committee treated Mr Moodley’s combined record and admission of the charge as a neutral factor when assessing penalty.

After consideration of the above factors, a 7-day suspension was imposed.

Conclusion:

The Respondent’s request for a deferment is granted and  his Licence to ride in races is suspended for a period of 7 days, commencing after racing on the 11th of November and concluding after racing on the 21st of November 2023.