Riccarton Park – Canterbury JC 25 February 2022 – R7 – BB Hong

Evidence:

Following the running of Race 7, the Respondent Class A Rider BB Hong admitted a charge of careless riding which was filed pursuant to Rule 638(1)(d).  The Information alleged that as the Rider of SHE’S RECOMMENDED allowed his mount to shift inwards over the final 100m when not sufficiently clear of O’JUDE which was forced inwards crowding SACRED GIANT and CEDDY SMITH which were both checked over the concluding stages.

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 Algar, with the assistance of Chief Stipendiary Steward, Mr Oatham, demonstrated the incident and identified the horses and Riders concerned.

Stipendiary Steward Mr Oatham, used video films to show that inside the 100m the Respondent has shifted ground inwards when under a ride, when not sufficiently clear of O’JUDE, which was forced inwards onto SACRED GIANT and  CEDDY SMITH who were both crowded and had to check. Mr Oatham stated that Mr Hong had shifted in approximately 5 horse widths.

Mr Hong elected to make no submissions on the breach.

Decision:

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

Submission for Penalty:

Stipendiary Steward Ms Algar produced the Respondent, Mr Hong’s riding record which indicated no  previous breaches under the Careless Riding Rule in the last 12 months.

Stipendiary Steward Ms Algar said Stewards assessed the level of carelessness to be in the  mid to high – range. Aggravating factors, she said, were that Mr Hong’s carelessness had resulted in relegation of his mount from 2nd to 3rd place following a protest by the connections of O’JUDE.

The Respondent advised that he would not be seeking a deferment of suspension and requested the suspension begin as soon as possible.

The Respondent elected to make no submissions in regard to penalty.

Reasons for Penalty:

After considering all submissions the Adjudicative Committee determined the Respondent, Mr Hong carelessness to be in the high to mid range and accordingly adopted a 9-day (suspension) as the starting point. This conforms with the NZTR Penalty Guide (as of 1 September 2021).

The Respondent’s riding record is treated as a mitigating  factor and a 1-day reduction was applied to the 9-day starting point for his admission of the breach and record.

The aggravating factor was the fact that Mr Hong’s carelessness resulted in a relegation of his mount from 2nd to 3rd place. This factor warranted an uplift which was set at 2 days.

After consideration of the above factors a 10-day suspension was imposed.

Conclusion – Penalty:

The Respondent’s  licence to ride in races is suspended for a period of 10 days commencing after racing today 25 February 2022 and concluding after racing on 16 March 2022.