R Tauranga 4 November 2023 – R3 – Joe Kamaruddin

Evidence:

Following the running of Race 3, the Respondent Class A Rider Mr J Kamaruddin, admitted a charge of careless riding which was filed pursuant to Rule 638(1)(d).  The Information alleged that he permitted his mount RUNNINWITHTHEDEVIL to shift inwards when insufficiently clear of SPRING HOLIDAY, which was checked near the 1100m.  

The Respondent 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 Ms L Selvakumaran demonstrated the incident and identified the horses and Riders concerned.

The head-on view showed Mr Kamaruddin in the 1-off position soon after the start. He looked to his inside and came across when barely a length clear of Ms Whiteside, who had to check her mount.

In response, Mr Kamaruddin said his horse jumped well from the barrier and he was expecting another runner to go past and take the lead. When no-one did, he adopted plan B and rolled forward across to the rail. Had Ms Whiteside called out to him, he would not have moved across when he did, but she was very quiet.

Decision:

As the Respondent admitted the breach, the Adjudicative Committee finds the breach proved.

Submissions for Penalty:

Stipendiary Steward Mr B Jones produced Mr Kamaruddin’s riding record which indicated 2 previous breaches under the Careless Riding Rule in the last 12 months, namely 23/2/23 – 5 days and 15/6/23 – 4 days.

The Respondent has had 546 mounts in the past 12 months.

Stipendiary Steward Mr Jones said Stewards assessed the level of carelessness to be in the low range.

Mr Kamaruddin advised of riding engagements through until next Saturday at Te Rapa and sought a deferment to any proposed suspension.

Reasons for Penalty:

After considering all submissions, the Adjudicative Committee determined Mr Kamaruddin’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 as of February 2023.

The available films showed that he steadied his mount at the same time as he moved over towards the rail, when he should have been going forward to ensure he was the required 2 lengths clear of Ms Whiteside.

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 record.

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

Conclusion:

Mr Kamaruddin’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 Saturday November 11th and concluding after racing on Friday November 17th.