R Rotorua 21 November 2023 – R6 – Opie Bosson

Evidence

This charge arises from the running of Race 6, the Entain / NZB Insurance Pearl Series Maiden 1400 metres.  Stipendiary Steward Mr Dooley filed an Information pursuant to Rule 638(1)(d) alleging the Rider of TOKO ONO (O Bosson), allowed his mount to shift in near the 150 metres when not sufficiently clear of CHARLBURY (L Satherley) which was checked.

Mr Bosson 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, Senior Stipendiary Steward Mr B Jones demonstrated the incident and identified the horses and Riders concerned; namely TOKO ONO and CHARLBURY.

Mr Jones told the Adjudicative Committee, that approaching the 150-metre mark, Mr Bosson allowed his mount, who was racing three off the fence, to shift inwards into the running line of CHARLBURY, who had to be restrained and was checked.  At the time of the shift, Mr Bosson continued to ride forward and was no more than ¾ length clear of CHARLBURY.

In response, Mr Bosson accepted the Steward’s interpretation of the incident and had nothing further to add.

Decision

As Mr Bosson admitted the breach, the Adjudicative Committee found the charge proved.

Submissions for Penalty

Mr Dooley produced Mr Bosson’s riding record which indicated 4 previous breaches under the Careless Riding Rule in the last 12 months, from 369 rides.  He added that one of his previous breaches occurred whilst Mr Bosson was riding in Australia.  This being Mr Bosson’s second breach in eight months, Stewards assessed his record as a neutral factor in terms of determining penalty.

Mr Dooley said Stewards assessed the level of carelessness to be in the mid-range and submitted that any proposed suspension should be commensurate with a mid-range penalty.

Mr Bosson sought an 8 day deferment to any proposed suspension. He asked that his relatively good record and admission of the breach be taken into account.

Reasons for Penalty

After considering the submissions and reviewing the race film, the Adjudicative Committee determined Mr Bosson’s carelessness to be in the mid-range and adopted a 7-day starting point.

The available films established that Mr Bosson did allow his mount to shift in whilst continuing to ride forward.  As a result, CHARLBURY was hampered and checked.

Mr Bosson’s overall record is assessed as a neutral factor, and he is afforded a 1 day reduction for his admission of the breach.

After taking into account all the above factors, the Adjudicative Committee considered a suspension of 6 (national) days to be appropriate under the circumstances.

Conclusion

The Adjudicative Committee granted Mr Bosson a deferment until after racing at Te Aroha on 29 November 2023.  Accordingly, his Licence to ride in races is suspended for a period of 6 days commencing after racing on 29 November 2023, and concluding after racing on 8 December 2023.