R Te Aroha 9 November 2021 – R6 – Wiremu Pinn

Evidence:

Following the running of Race 6 Class B (Apprentice) Rider Wiremu Pinn admitted a charge of careless riding which was filed pursuant to Rule 638(1)(d).  The Information alleged  that Wiremu Pinn  “angled his mount OH TO BE outwards near the 200 metres when not sufficient clear crowding KANTRA on to APOSTROPHE and KAI with APOSTROPHE being severely checked”.

Mr Pinn acknowledged he understood the Rule and confirmed his admission of the breach. He was assisted at the hearing by Mr N Harris (Rider Mentor).

Rule 638(1) (d) provides: A Rider shall not ride a horse in a manner which the Judicial Committee considers to be careless.

Using the available race films Stipendiary Steward, Mr Davidson demonstrated the incident and identified the horses and Riders concerned.

Mr Davidson said that approaching the 200 metre mark the Respondent was racing on the fence behind the race leader OUTAGE (M Cameron).  He said that the Respondent angled out and made contact with KANTRA (G Grylls).  At the same time the Respondent continued to shift out resulting in KAI (D Johnson) being crowded with APOSTROPHE (R Elliot) being severely checked.

Mr Davidson said there were contributing factors in favour of the Respondent.  He pointed out that the leader (OUTAGE) moved off the rail at the same time the Respondent shifted out and this had an impact on the resultant interference.

In response the Respondent said that he was sitting in behind the leader, patiently waiting for a run.  He said that at the same time he shifted off the fence, Mr Cameron also allowed his mount to shift out 1 to ½ horse widths.  He said as a result of this “there was a chain reaction and the incident was made to look much worse than it really was”.    

Mr Harris said that due to the leader shifting out it was very difficult for Mr Pinn to straighten his mount to avoid contact with the horses on his outer.

Decision:

As the Respondent admitted the breach the Adjudicative Committee finds the breach proved (Rule 915(1)(d) refers).

Submission for Penalty:

Mr Davidson advised that the Respondent has two previous breaches of the Careless Riding Rule, namely on 20/03/21 (3 days suspension) and 03/04/21 (7 days suspension in a G3 race).  He said that he has since had 191 race rides and therefore his overall careless riding is good.

Mr Davidson said Stewards assessed the level of carelessness to be slightly above mid-range range.  He submitted he ought to be given credit for his admission of the breach.

The Respondent sought a deferment to any proposed suspension until after racing on 13 November 2021.  He advised that he would like any proposed suspension to conclude before 24 November 2021 so that he could be back riding for the meeting at Otaki on 25 November 2021.

Reasons for Penalty:

After considering the submissions the Adjudicator determined the Respondent’s carelessness to be in the mid to high range and adopted an 8-day (suspension) as the starting point. This conforms with the NZTR Penalty Guide (as of 1 September 2021).

The available films clearly establish that the Respondent shifted out when he was not sufficiently clear of the horses named in the Information resulting in those runners being hampered and checked to varying degrees.  The interference suffered by APOSTROPHE was the most severe.

The Committee accepts the submission that the leader did roll off the fence and this did have an impact on the severity of the incident.  This has been taken into account in assessing penalty and is treated as a mitigating factor.

The Respondent’s riding record is good given he is a busy Apprentice Rider and this breach is his third in 12 months.  On that basis a 1-day reduction is applied to the starting point for his combined good record and admission of the breach.

After consideration of the above factors the Respondent’s deferment is granted and a 7-day suspension is imposed.

Conclusion – Penalty:

Mr Pinn’s Licence to ride in races is suspended for a period of 7 days commencing after racing on 13 November 2021 and concluding after racing on 25 November 2021.