Matamata RC 19 April 2024 – R1 – Masa Hashizume

Evidence:

Following the running of Race 1, Mr M Hashizume admitted a charge of careless riding which was filed pursuant to Rule 638(1)(d).  The Information alleged that as the Rider of TIKAANI, he permitted his mount to shift outwards when not sufficiently clear of ICON, which was checked near the 300 metres. 

Mr Hashizume acknowledged that 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, Chief Stipendiary Steward Mr J Oatham demonstrated the incident and identified the horses and Riders concerned.

Mr Oatham said that approaching the 300 metre mark, the Respondent was following the leader MISTER MEANER and had ICON, ridden by Mr T Moodley, on his outside.

SANTA CATALINA, which was outside ICON, did lay in, but was corrected by its Jockey Mr M Cameron. Mr Hashizume then came out to make his run when insufficiently clear of ICON at the 300 metre mark and Mr Moodley had to take hold of his mount.

Mr Hashizume commented that he was very unlucky, he considered there was only slight interference and the movement of SANTA CATALINA in on ICON prior to his move, contributed to the incident.

Decision:

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

Submissions for Penalty:

Senior Stipendiary Steward Mr B Jones advised that Mr Hashizume was a very busy Rider, with 642 rides in the past 12 months. He considered Mr Hashizume had a good record, the last charge under this Rule was on 26 October 2023, which resulted in a 4 day suspension.

Stewards assessed the level of carelessness to be in the low range. With a starting point of a 5 day suspension, the Stewards recommended a 4 day suspension.

In terms of any proposed penalty, Mr Hashizume submitted that a 2 day reduction, rather than a 1 day as suggested by the Stewards, from the starting point of 5 days, should be considered in view of his good record and his admission of the breach.

He advised he had riding engagements on Saturday 27 April and sought a deferment until after that date for any suspension to commence.

Reasons for Penalty:

After considering all submissions, the Adjudicative Committee determined Mr Hashizume’s carelessness to be in the low range and adopted a 5 day suspension as the starting point. This conforms with the NZTR Penalty Guide.

The Respondent’s riding record is treated as a mitigating factor and a 1-day reduction was applied to the 5 day starting point for his admission of the breach and good record.

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

Conclusion:

The Respondent’s request for a deferment is granted and his Licence to ride in races is suspended for a period of 4 days, commencing after racing on 27 April and concluding after racing on Friday 3 May 2024.