Riverton RC 21 April 2025 – R7 – Tina Comignaghi

BACKGROUND

Following the running of Race 7,  Class A Rider Tina Comignaghi admitted a breach of Rule 636(1)(d), the details of which were that she failed to ride her mount, MAKABAR, out to the end of the race when there was a chance of holding 4th place.

Rule 636 provides as follows:

(1)  A person:

(d) being the Rider of a horse in a Race, must ride his horse out to the end of the Race if there is a reasonable chance of it running into a position for which there is prize money to be awarded or a dividend to be declared.

Ms Comignaghi confirmed her admission of the breach, and that she understood the Rule and the nature of the charge.

EVIDENCE

Mr Jones, with the assistance of Mr Davidson, used the available race videos to identify the Respondent, riding MAKABAR, saving ground near the rail when improving from back in the field on the home turn.

Ms Comignaghi was shown using her whip 3 times before the 150 metre mark, by which point she was clearly holding 4th place. She did not use the whip from this point to the finish of the race.

Stewards submitted that Ms Comignaghi appeared to ease her horse some 60 or 70 metres from the finish line. This was until the last two strides of the race, when CHARBANO (ridden by Kylie Williams) closed in hard to her outside. Ms Comignaghi appeared to push MAKABAR in the last two strides in a belated attempt to hold off the challenge, Mr Jones said.

CHARBANO got up to beat MAKABAR for 4th place by a half-head.

Stewards believed Ms Comignaghi could and should have shown more vigour in the closing stages of the race and through the finish line.

Ms Comignaghi said she thought she was “pretty clear” of all the other horses behind her and, because she was so far from the 3rd placed horse, she stopped pushing MAKABAR. She thought she had secured 4th place. She said she was not aware of any threat until just before the line, when she started urging her horse again. “It was too late by then,” Ms Comignaghi said.

DECISION

As Ms Comignaghi has admitted the breach, it is found to be proved.

SUBMISSIONS FOR PENALTY

Stewards produced the Respondent’s record, which was clear under this Rule. Ms Comignaghi was a very busy South Island Jockey, having had 446 rides in the previous 12 months.

Reference was made by Mr Jones to the starting point in the Thoroughbred Racing Penalty Guide of a 2-week suspension when a Jockey fails to ride out for 4th place.

Ms Comignaghi’s admission of the breach was a mitigating factor, he said.

Penalties for other breaches of the Rule involving the potential loss of 4th place were shared with the Adjudicative Committee. These included:

*Samantha Wynne – Wingatui (2 June 2024) – 6-day suspension.

*Terry Moseley – Ashburton (14 March 2024) – 5-day suspension.

Stewards believed a suspension of 5 or 6 days would be appropriate in this case, Mr Jones said.

Ms Comignaghi agreed with this, saying her penalty should be in line with what other Riders had received. She requested a deferment of any possible suspension, to allow her to ride up to and including the Riccarton Meeting on 1 May 2025.

REASONS FOR PENALTY

This is a reasonably uncommon breach of the Rules that, in recent times and with reference to the potential loss of 4th place, has resulted in suspensions of 5 or 6 days.

Alongside the Wynne and Moseley Decisions, the Adjudicative Committee sourced a case involving Lisa Allpress at Ashburton (19 January 2023), which resulted in a suspension of 5 days.

In this case, the race videos show that Ms Comignaghi stopped pushing her horse for most of the last 60 or 70 metres of the race, which was run in very testing heavy conditions. She tried to lift MAKABAR again in the last two strides, when she became aware of a fast-closing challenge, but lost 4th place by the margin of a half-head. Her misjudgement was costly for connections, and for punters with Top 4 and First 4 investments.

A starting point of a 2-week suspension, in line with the Penalty Guide, is adopted. The Adjudicative Committee notes that this period includes four South Island race meetings, one of which is a feature meeting at Riccarton.

Mitigating factors include Ms Comignaghi’s admission of the breach and her clear record.

In weighing all of the relevant factors, including the need for consistency in penalties, the Adjudicative Committee reduces the 2-week starting point by 2 national riding days. This results in a 6-day suspension and means the Respondent will miss three South Island meetings, including a feature day.

CONCLUSION

The Respondent’s request for a deferment is granted. Ms Comignaghi’s Licence to ride in races is suspended from the conclusion of racing on 1 May 2025, up to and including racing on 11 May 2025. This is 6 national riding days.