Feilding JC 2 November 2024 – R6 – Harry Grace

Evidence:

Following the running of Race 6, the Respondent Class A Rider Mr Harry Grace admitted a charge of careless riding which was filed pursuant to Rule 638(1)(d).  The Information alleged that H Grace (OUR JUMALA) angled outwards when not sufficiently clear of FONTEYN (T Davies) and TANZANITE ROSE (C Butler), which was checked passing the 400 metres.

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 four available race films, Stipendiary Steward Mr K Coppins demonstrated the incident and identified the horses and Riders concerned.

Mr Grace was positioned behind MASTER MARKO (ridden by D Cooper) with FONTEYN (ridden by T Davies) directly to his outside, and TANZANITE ROSE (ridden by C Butler), further out. In an attempt to improve his position in the race, Mr Grace angled out from behind Mr Cooper, but was not the required two lengths clear of Ms Davies when he did so. This manoeuver caused Ms Davies to shift outward, resulting in Ms Butler being severely checked while on the rail. Mr Coppins added that Ms Davies had told the Stewards after the race, that her horse had over-reacted to Mr Grace’s outward movement.

In response, Mr Grace expressed disappointment in himself and accepted that his actions had led to TANZANITE ROSE being forced to check. However, he noted that he did not make contact with FONTEYN and stated that MASTER MARKO, the horse he was following, had also shifted outward. Mr Grace believed that his own shift was very minor.

Decision:

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

Submissions for Penalty:

Mr Oatham produced Mr Grace’s riding record, which indicated 3 previous breaches under the Careless Riding Rule in the last 12 months, namely:

25/11/23 Penshurst 8 meetings (low end)

2/6/24  Sandown 10 meetings (low end)

27/7/24 Warrnambool 10 days (low-mid)

The Respondent has had  between 400-500 rides in the past 12 months. Mr Grace has been riding in New Zealand since September 28th and in that time, has had 44 rides and caused the Stewards no issues.

Mr Oatham  said despite the bad check to Ms Butler, Stewards assessed the level of carelessness to be in the low-mid range. It was not ideal that horses were all heading to the outside of the track, and the incident occured on the odd-shaped bend, where horses transition from having considerable room, to very little room. In his opinion, Mr Grace made a minor error of judgement.

Mr Grace advised of riding engagements through until Tuesday November 5th and sought a deferment to any proposed suspension.

Reasons for Penalty:

The Adjudicative Committee concurred with the Stewards’ assessment of the incident and acknowledged their accurate outline of the events. The incident resulted in a significant check to Ms Butler, who was positioned on the outside running rail. However, several mitigating factors were considered in determining the penalty.

The majority of runners were angling toward the outer part of the track, where the ground offered better footing. Navigating the bend into the home straight, the track has an unusual dog-leg configuration, where the space for horses narrows.

The horse Mr Grace was following, also shifted outward, just as Mr Grace had committed to moving past it. Ms Davies reported that her horse overreacted to Mr Grace’s outward movement, contributing to the severity of the check to Ms Butler.

Mr Grace was approximately 1 1/4 lengths clear of Ms Davies, just shy of the required two lengths for a safe passing. While this did not meet the full clearance requirement, it demonstrated an attempt to maintain appropriate distance.

Considering these mitigating factors, Mr Grace’s riding record which was considered neutral, and his admission of the breach, the Adjudicative Committee finds a 5-day suspension is appropriate.

Conclusion:

The Respondent’s request for a deferment is granted and his Licence to ride in races is suspended for a period of 5 days, commencing after racing on Tuesday November 5th and concluding after racing on Tuesday November 12th, 2024.