Riccarton Park – Canterbury JC 23 February 2024 – R5 – Ashvin Goindasamy

Evidence:

Following the running of Race 5, the Respondent Class A Rider Ashvin Goindasamy admitted a charge of careless riding which was filed pursuant to Rule 638(1)(d).  The Information alleged that “as the Rider of STAR FORMULA he allowed his mount to shift in when not clear of YOSHIME which was checked passing the 1000m.  

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, Chief Stipendiary Steward John Oatham, with the assistance of Stipendiary Steward Mark Davidson, demonstrated the incident and identified the horses and Riders concerned. Mr Davidson pointed out Mr Goindasamy, riding STAR FORMULA, 3 wide and in a handy position as the field approached the 1000m with YOSHIME, ridden by Jasmine Fawcett, racing to the inside of  STAR FORMULA.  Using available replays, Mr Davidson showed Mr Goindasamy attempt to shift in to the 2 wide position in front of YOSHIME and in doing so, was not clear of Miss Fawcett, who had to check her mount. Mr Oatham added that the pace had eased just as Mr Goindasamy was making his move to shift into the gap in front of Miss Fawcett and in conjunction to this, Miss Fawcett had reported her horse was over racing at the time, which contributed to the incident.

Mr Goindasamy stated that he had wanted to lead, but decided that he would attempt to find cover and ease in front to Miss Fawcett. He said there was room when he first looked, but by the time he was shifting down into the gap, it had obviously narrowed due to the pace slowing and Miss Fawcett’s mount over racing.

Decision:

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

Submissions for Penalty:

Chief Stipendiary Steward Mr Oatham stated that Mr Goindasamy showed a clear record over the previous 12 months. Mr Oatham added that Mr Goindasamy’s riding statistics shows he has had 333 rides over the previous 12 months.

Mr Oatham said Stewards assessed the level of carelessness to be in the low-range and submitted a starting point as per the Penalty Guide of a 5 day starting point. He added that his good record and admission of the breach could be considered as mitigating factors.

The Respondent advised of riding engagements through until 2 March 2024 at Wingatui and sought a deferment to any proposed suspension.

In terms of any proposed penalty, the Respondent elected to make no submissions.

Reasons for Penalty:

After considering all submissions, the Adjudicative Committee determined the Respondent’s carelessness to be in the low range and accordingly, adopted a 5-day suspension as the starting point.

The Respondent’s riding record is treated as an mitigating factor and in conjunction with his frank admission of the breach, a combined discount was warranted. This combined discount was set at 1 day.

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

Conclusion:

The Respondent’s request for a deferment is granted until after racing on 2 March 2024 at Wingatui, and his Licence to ride in races is suspended for a period of 4 national days commencing after racing on 2 March, and concluding after racing on 8 March 2024.