Manawatu RC 11 November 2022 – R1 – Kozzi Asano

Evidence:

Following the running of Race 1, the Respondent Mr K Asano was charged with a breach of Rule 636(1)(d).  The Information alleged that K Asano (DUNCAN CREEK) failed to ride his mount out fully to the finish.

Mr Asano acknowledged he understood the Rule and confirmed that he did not admit the breach.

Rule 636 (1) (d) provides:

A person: (d) being the Rider of a horse in a Race, must ride his horse out to the end of the Race if there is a reasonable chance of it running into a position for which there is prize money to be awarded or a dividend to be declared;

Mr Goodwin showed the videos of the final stages of the race.

Mr Asano was in 3rd place when he relaxed his ride one and a half strides from the line and finished in 4th place beaten by a nose margin. Immediately after the race Mr Goodwin called Mr Asano into the Stewards’ room to question his ride. Mr Asano told Mr Goodwin that his saddle had slipped and as a result he had been unable to use his whip for the final 50m of the race. Mr Goodwin said Mr Asano had not said anything to the Trainer about the saddle slipping as he weighed in after the race. Mr Asano agreed he had not told the Trainer but explained he didn’t get the opportunity to because the Trainer was talking to him about another aspect of his ride in the race.

Mr Asano told the Adjudicative Committee that his saddle first slipped as he was going around to the start before the race. He dismounted behind the starting gates, and after finding there were no spare girths Mr Asano adjusted the towels so his saddle was more secure and sitting further back on the horse. Mr Goodwin confirmed this, and showed footage of the start with Mr Asano dismounted from his horse making adjustments to the saddle.

Mr Goodwin said Mr Asano was a Rider who normally used his whip over the final 50m of a race, suggesting not doing so today was unusual for him. Following the race Mr Goodwin spoke with the Trainer, and while there was no visual evidence the saddle had slipped, the Trainer conceded it was possible that it had. In response to a question from the Adjudicative Committee, Mr Asano explained his saddle was slipping from side to side, which was why it was not evident on the films.

Decision:

Anyone watching the finish of the race, who had backed DUNCAN CREEK, might well feel aggrieved that Mr Asano was beaten for 3rd place after relaxing his ride over the final stages. The films were quite clear in showing he did not ride his  mount out fully to the finish. Mr Asano defended the charge on the basis that his saddle was slipping from side to side. This was not refuted by the Stewards nor the Trainer of the horse. Issues with the saddle were in fact corroborated by video footage at the start showing Mr Asano dismounted from DUNCAN CREEK  making adjustments to his gear.

The Adjudicative Committee found although it was not obvious watching the films that Mr Asano’s saddle had slipped, his evidence was credible. The charge of failing to ride out to the finish was found not proved.