Hawkes Bay RI 30 September 2023 – R7 – Jonathan Riddell

Evidence:

Following the running of Race 7, the Respondent Class A Rider Mr J Riddell admitted a charge of careless riding which was filed pursuant to Rule 638(1)(d).  The Information alleged that he allowed his mount CALLSIGN MAV to shift out on the point of the home turn, dictating PIER (S Weatherley) outwards, tightening AROMATIC (W Kennedy).

Mr Riddell 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 Mr Jones demonstrated the incident and identified the horses and Riders concerned.

He showed that on rounding the bend, Mr Riddell angled outwards when only 3/4 length clear of the horse to his outside (PIER).  PIER had AROMATIC on his outer and these 2 horses were racing shoulder to shoulder. The movement of Mr Riddell eventuated in AROMATIC being tightened when forced out onto the heels of MUSTANG VALLEY.

In response, Mr Riddell stated he had angled out naturally to get to the better ground. It hadn’t been intentional and he hadn’t moved very much.

Decision:

As Mr Riddell admitted the breach, the Adjudicative Committee finds the breach proved.

Submissions for Penalty:

Stipendiary Steward Mr Oatham produced Mr Riddell’s riding record which indicated 2 previous breaches under the Careless Riding Rule in the last 12 months, namely:

12/1/23  Wanganui  4 day suspension

15/4/23  Hastings   4 day suspension

Mr Ridddell has had 425 mounts in the past 12 months.

Mr Oatham said Stewards assessed the level of carelessness to be in the low to mid range and sought a suspension in line with the Penalty Guidelines.

Mr Riddell said he had no commitments to preclude any suspension starting immediately.

In terms of any proposed penalty, he submitted the incident was low end.

Reasons for Penalty:

Mr Riddell, as the leading runner, angled out on the home turn seeking a better part of the track. He did not force his way out from a tight position, nor not did he angle out abruptly. Nonetheless, Mr Riddell was not the required 2 lenghts clear of the horse to his outside when he manoevered outwards, ultimately causing interference to 2 horses. The Adjudicative Committee determined his carelessness to be between low and midrange. It adopted a 6 day starting point, which conforms with the NZTR Penalty Guide (as of February 2023).

Rule 920(2) empowers an Adjudicative Committee in imposing a penalty, to have due regard to such matters as it considers appropriate including: (a) the Status of the Race; (b) the stake payable in respect of the Race.; and / or (c) the consequences.  On this occasion, due to the Group 1 status of the race, the Adjudicative Committee applied a 3-day uplift and added a monetary penalty equating to 50% of his 3rd place share of stakemoney.

Mr Riddell’s riding history served as a mitigating factor, and a 1-day reduction was granted for his admission of the breach and his overall record.

After consideration of the above factors, an 8-day suspension was imposed. In addition, a $900 fine is imposed.

Conclusion:

Mr Riddell’s Licence to ride in races is suspended for a period of 8 days commencing after racing today (30th September 2023), and concluding after racing on Friday October 13th, 2023.