Wellington RC 29 January 2022 – R4 – Lemmy Douglas

Evidence:

Following the running of Race 4, Apprentice Rider Mr L Douglas admitted a charge of careless riding which was filed pursuant to Rule 638(1)(d).  The Information alleged  that as the Rider of FIFITA L Douglas rode carelessly in allowing his mount to shift inwards contacting the rail and as a result caused interference to MEHRTENS (A Mudhoo) passing the 400m.

Mr Douglas 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 Mr Oatham demonstrated the incident and identified the horses and Riders concerned.

He said FIFITA lay out coming across the junction and then moved inwards making contact with the running rail before bouncing off the rail onto MEHRTENS who suffered severe interference.

Neither Mr Douglas nor Ms Clapperton wished to comment.

Decision:

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

Submission for Penalty:

Mr Oatham produced the Respondent’s riding record which indicated no previous breaches under the Careless Riding Rule in the last 12 months. Mr Douglas has recently begun an Apprenticeship with Ms Janelle Millar following a career as a Jumps Rider, and since beginning in November 2021 he has had 101 rides.

Mr Oatham said Stewards assessed the level of carelessness to be in the mid-range.

In terms of any proposed penalty Mr Douglas said he agreed that his breach was mid-range and Ms Clapperton asked the Adjudicative Committee to take into account this was his first careless riding charge.

Reasons for Penalty:

After considering the submissions the Adjudicative Committee determined Mr Douglas’ carelessness to be in mid-range and adopted a 7 day (suspension) as the starting point. This conforms with the NZTR Penalty Guide (as of 1 September 2021).

The available films clearly established that Mr Douglas made contact with the running rail and continued using the whip. At no stage did he attempt to straighten his mount with the result being that MERHTENS suffered severe interference.

The Respondent’s riding record and admission of the breach are treated as mitigating factors and a 1-day reduction was applied.

After consideration of the above factors a 6-day suspension was imposed.

Conclusion – Penalty:

Mr Douglas’ licence to ride in races is suspended for a period of 6 days commencing after racing on February 9th 2022 and concluding after racing on Saturday February 19th.