R Te Aroha 6 March 2026 – R2 (Request for a Ruling) SHAMWARI
ID: RIB64659
Animal Name:
Shamwari
Code:
Thoroughbred
Race Date:
06/03/2026
Race Club:
Racing Te Aroha
Race Location:
Te Aroha Racecourse - Stanley Road South, Te Aroha,
Race Number:
R2
Hearing Date:
06/03/2026
Hearing Location:
Te Aroha Racecourse
Outcome: Determination
Penalty: N/A
Following the running of Race 2, the RYAN BRADLEY BAYLEYS COMMERCIAL 2200m, the Applicant, Mr M Forbes, Trainer of SHAMWARI, lodged an Information Requesting a Ruling pursuant to Rule 632(1) to establish whether SHAMWARI was denied a fair start.
Rule 632(1) provides “If, in the opinion of the Adjudicative Committee, a horse which does not finish in the first four placing’s was prevented from taking an effective part in a race owing to the mechanical failure of starting stalls, or is denied a fair start and such occurrence materially prejudiced the chances of that horse (but not where the horse is slow away of its own accord), the Adjudicative Committee may declare such horse to be a non-starter.”
Head-on footage of the start was reviewed a number of times by the Adjudicative Committee, with focus being on barrier No. 6 where SHIMWARI was loaded. On the gates opening, the horse reared his head and then suddenly dropped it, which resulted in a delayed jump out. This clearly reduced its chances of performing well in the race. To assist in determination, input was sought from the Informant, Rider Ryan Elliot, the Starter and Stewards.
A Barrier Assistant was present in the barrier with SHAMWARI. Mr Elliot said that the horse would only have reared its head as a result of the Attendant not releasing his hold on the horse’s reins. Mr Forbes highlighted the horse’s actions and reiterated the starting antics interfered with his horse’s chances. The horse came in last.
The Stewards provided the Adjudicative Committee with the horse’s history of performing in the same way in his last 3 or 4 starts. It was pointed out that there was no evidence on the films of the Barrier Attendant’s actions in SHAMWARI’s stall.
The Adjudicative Committee agreed with the view that if the Barrier Assistant’s actions had caused the horse to rear its head, then that would have been sufficient to find it had been denied a fair start. However, given the evidence from the Rider that the horse had been “fidgety in the gates” and the Steward’s evidence of similar behaviour in the previous 3 or 4 starts, coupled with no demonstrable evidence of interference by the Barrier Assistant, the Adjudicative Committee was not satisfied on the balance of probabilities (which means “more likely than not”) that SHAMWARI was denied a fair start.
Accordingly, the declaration sought is declined.
Decision Date: 06/03/2026
Publish Date: 10/03/2026