Whangarei RC 5 October 2022 – R6 – Vinnie Colgan

Evidence:

This charge arises from the running of Race 6, the Whangarei ITM 1100m. Stipendiary Steward, Mr Dooley filed an Information pursuant to Rule 638(1)(d) alleging the Rider of BLOOD WARRIOR (V Colgan), “allowed his mount to shift out when not sufficiently clear of LANEWAY FLIRTING, which was checked passing the 100 metres”.

Mr Colgan 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 Mr Stewart demonstrated the incident and identified the horses and Riders concerned; namely BLOOD WARRIOR (V Colgan) and LANEWAY FLIRTING (M Hashizume).

Mr Stewart told the Adjudicative Committee that approaching the 100-metre mark, Mr Colgan allowed his mount to shift out and in doing so, he continued to ride forward without taking corrective action.  He said that at the time of the shift he was no more than ¾ length clear of LANEWAY FLIRTING who was racing behind BLOOD WARRIOR.  As a consequence, Mr Stewart said that LANEWAY FLIRTING was severely checked.

Mr Colgan offered no explanation for the breach.

Decision:

As Mr Colgan admitted the breach, the Adjudicative Committee found the charge proved.

Submission for Penalty:

Mr Dooley submitted that Mr Colgan’s riding record is reasonably good with him having had two previous breaches under the Careless Riding Rule in the last 12 months. Both having occurred in December (last year 2021).

Mr Dooley said Stewards assessed the level of carelessness to be in the mid-range due to the nature of the check to LANEWAY FLIRTING.

In terms of penalty, he submitted that a suspension commensurate with a mid-range breach be imposed with a discount being afforded to Mr Colgan for his admission of the breach and his record.

Mr Colgan sought a deferment to any proposed suspension until after racing on 8 October 2022. He had nothing further to add in relation to any proposed penalty.

Reasons for Penalty:

After considering the submissions and reviewing the race film, the Adjudicative Committee determined Mr Colgan’s carelessness to be mid-range and adopted a 7-day (suspension) as the starting point.

The available films clearly established that Mr Colgan allowed his mount to shift out when less than one length clear of LANEWAY FLIRTING, who was checked, and at the time of the check, was running on strongly. Mr Colgan made no attempt to straighten his mount, when he should have and it is for that reason, coupled with the interference suffered by LANEWAY FLIRTING, that the breach is assessed as being in the mid-range.

From the 7-day starting point, a one-day reduction is applied for Mr Colgan’s admission of the breach and his relatively good riding record, particularly given that this is his first breach in 10 months (albeit he was injured for a period during March and April 2022).  Mr Colgan did demonstrate some contrition, predominantly knowing that a suspension will inevitably encompass the forthcoming Premier race meeting at Hastings on 15 October 2022.

After considering Mr Colgan’s admission of the breach and the above factors, the Adjudicative Committee deemed that an appropriate suspension be 6 (national) days.

Conclusion:

The Adjudicative Committee granted Mr Colgan a deferment to his suspension. Accordingly, his licence to ride in races is suspended for a period of 6 days, commencing after racing on 8 October 2022 and concluding after racing on 16 October 2022.