Central Otago RC 25 November 2022 – R5 – Krishna Mudhoo

Evidence:

Following the running of Race 5, the Respondent Class A Rider Mr Krishna Mudhoo admitted a charge of careless riding which was filed pursuant to Rule 638(1)(d).  The Information alleged that as the Rider of NO BOUQUET “you shifted ground inwards passing the 200m when not sufficiently clear, checking AMATERASU”. 

The Respondent 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, Stipendiary Steward Ms Haley demonstrated the incident and identified the horses and Riders concerned.

Stipendiary Steward Mr Davidson said approaching the 200 metre mark, the Respondent has shifted ground inwards when held up for a run, and had not been sufficiently clear of AMATERASU who was checked.

In response, the Respondent made no submissions.

Decision:

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

Submission for Penalty:

Stipendiary Steward Mr Davidson produced the Respondent Mr Mudhoo’s riding record, which indicated 4 previous breaches under the Careless Riding Rule in the last 12 months, namely:

17 March at Ashburton for 4 days

16 June, Riccarton – 6 days

10 August, Riccarton – 5 days

30 October,  Ashburton – 4 days

Mr Davidson said Mr Mudhoo’s record is not great but he has ridden in 350 races in the period. He said this breach is at the lower end of the scale and the evidence the Stewards had received from Mr Muniandy, the Rider of AMATERASU, was although he had to check, he was a beaten runner.

In terms of any proposed penalty, the Respondent Mr Mudhoo wished to start any suspension after the second day of the meeting on Sunday.

Reasons for Penalty:

After considering all submissions, the Adjudicative Committee determined the Respondent Mr Mudhoo’s carelessness to be low to mid-range, and adopted a 6-day suspension as the starting point. This conforms with the NZTR Penalty Guide (as of 1 March 2022).

The available films clearly established that the Respondent has been held up for a run, gone for a gap which closed, and then directed his horse further inwards to secure a run, checking Mr Muniandy.

The Respondent’s riding record is treated as a neutral factor, and a 1-day reduction was applied to the 6-day starting point for his admission of the breach.

After consideration of the above factors, a 5-day suspension was imposed.

Conclusion:

The Respondent’s licence to ride in races is suspended for a period of 5 days commencing after racing on 27 November 2022, and concluding after racing on 7 December 2022.