Hawkes Bay RI 9 July 2022 – R3 – Kelsey Hannan

Evidence:

Following the running of Race 3, the Respondent Ms K Hannan defended a charge of careless riding which was filed pursuant to Rule 638(1)(d).  The Information alleged that as the Rider of SHA CARRI she allowed her mount to shift outwards in the home straight when not clear of SON OF THUNDER (H Schofer) which had to check and change ground.

Ms Hannan acknowledged she understood the Rule and confirmed that she did not admit the breach.  Apprentice Mentor Ms Kim Clapperton 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.

Stipendiary Steward Mr Coppins used all three available films to demonstrate the incident and identify the horses and Riders concerned.

Ms Hannan was in front. Positioned behind and outside of her was Ms Schofer on SON OF THUNDER.  A number of other runners were outside of Ms Schofer including Ms Sutherland whose mount tended to lay inwards. Mr Goodwin said that this movement had no bearing on the incident. Ms Hannan commenced to move outwards approximately 3-4 horse widths taking the line of Ms Schofer who was forced to take evasive action by checking back and changing her run to come to the inside of Ms Hannan.

Ms Schofer was called as a witness for the Stewards. After turning into the straight Ms Schofer said she could see Ms Hannam drifting outwards, so in an attempt to give her more room she tried to stay as close to Mr Parkes (on her outside) as possible. In addition Ms Schofer said she called multiple times to Ms Hannan but she continued inwards and then abruptly took her line. With nowhere else to go Ms Schofer was forced to check backwards and change to an inside run.

In response, Ms Clapperton said she had advised Ms Hannan to defend the charge of careless riding on the basis that Ms Hannan had tried to straighten her mount but her horse had moved outwards very quickly, and there was nothing more she could have done. Ms Clapperton challenged the amount of ground the Stewards claimed Ms Hannan had moved outwards, and said it was only a horse width which had caused the interference. Ms Clapperton said Ms Hannan was an inexperienced Rider, she used the whip in her left hand which many horses are not used to, and believed that a warning would have been more appropriate.

Ms Hannan said she was aware her horse was moving outwards and she did try and straighten it but as she hit it with the whip, it moved out further. Ms Hannan did not hear Ms Schofer calling to her until well after the incident.

Decision:

The Adjudicative Committee revisited the films several times to better understand the respective submissions. The head and rear view videos showed a gap between Ms Hannan and Ms Schofer which began to close as a result of Ms Hannan drifting outwards. As she got closer to Ms Schofer, Ms Hannan appeared to make an attempt to straighten as evidenced by the inward direction of her mount’s nose. Unfortunately Ms Hannan then drew her whip and hit her mount on its left side which caused it to abruptly shift out further, taking the direct line of Ms Schofer who had no option but to take a hold. Ms Hannan was only a length clear when she crossed. It was the opinion of the Adjudicative Committee that Ms Hannan was careless in that she continued to ride her mount vigorously, including using the whip, when she was clearly aware that her mount was running outwards. Her attempt to straighten was not enough and she should not have used her whip when she did.

The charge of careless riding was found proved.

Submission for Penalty:

Ms Hannan’s riding record indicated no previous breaches of the Careless Riding Rule. She has had 56 rides in total and 8 wins.

Mr Goodwin said Stewards assessed the level of carelessness to be below mid range.

Ms Clapperton reiterated that Ms Hannan was inexperienced, and winter racing with heavy tracks could often make it harder for horses to run straight.

Ms Hannan did not seek a deferment to any proposed suspension.

Reasons for Penalty:

After considering all submissions, the Adjudicative Committee determined that Ms Hannan’s carelessness sat between the low and  midrange, 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 Ms Hannan crossed directly into the line of Ms Schofer when not clear to do so. While the interference did not affect Ms Schofer from gaining a placing, she was forced to check backwards to avoid clipping heels. Riders must be held accountable when their actions compromise the safety of others in a race.

Mitigating factors are Ms Hannan’s clear record, her inexperience and to a lesser extent, other factors as outlined by Ms Clapperton.  A generous 2-day reduction was applied.

After consideration of the above factors a 4-day suspension was imposed.

Conclusion:

Ms Hannan’s licence to ride in races is suspended for a period of 4 days commencing after racing today and concluding after racing on Friday July 16th, 2022.