Archive Decision

This decision has been migrated from the JCA website. Information is accurate but formatting may differ from contemporary decisions. Please contact us for any further enquiries.

Westland RC 11 January 2017 – R 4 – Chair, Mr R McKenzie

ID: JCA12190

Applicant:
Mr MR Davidson - Stipendiary Steward

Respondent(s):
Mr R Firdhaus - Licensed Apprentice Jockey (Class B)

Other Person:
Mr AJ Carston - Licensed Trainer (Class A) assisting Mr Firdhaus

Information Number:
A7789

Hearing Type:
Hearing

New Charge:
Incompetent Riding

Rules:
638(1)(e)

Plea:
admitted

Code:
Thoroughbred

Meet Title:
Westland RC - 11 January 2017

Meet Chair:
RMcKenzie

Meet Committee Member 1:
GClapp

Race Date:
2017/01/11

Race Number:
R4

Decision:

Mr Firdhaus having admitted the breach, the charge was found proved.

Penalty:

Mr Firdhaus’s Apprentice Jockey’s licence (Class B) is suspended from after the close of racing on 14 January 2017 up to and including 18 February 2017 – 5 weeks.

Facts:

Following the running of Race 4, Rendel Foster Memorial Hokitika Businesses Cup, an information was filed by Stipendiary Steward, Mr MR Davidson, against Licensed Apprentice Jockey (Class B), Mr R Firdhaus, alleging that Mr Firdhaus, as the rider of LOCALLY SAUCED in the race “rode incompetently in that he miscounted the rounds and eased his mount with 1200 metres to run”.

Mr Firdhaus was present at the hearing of the Information and he indicated that he admitted the breach. He was assisted at the hearing by his employer, Licensed Trainer (Class A), Mr A J Carston.

Rule 638 provides as follows:
(1) A Rider shall not ride a horse in a manner which the Judicial Committee considers to be:
     (e)   incompetent.

Mr Davidson showed a video replay of the relevant part of the race. Mr Firdhaus, riding LOCALLY SAUCED, had led from the start of the 2180 metres race and was clear in the lead as the field neared the winning post for the first time, after approximately 1000 metres, and with one lap of 1200 metres to run.

Mr Firdhaus could be seen to be urging his mount along and took a look back to see where the rest of the field was. He had established a “clear lead”, Mr Davidson said. Mr Firdhaus rode his mount out to the winning post and then stood up and took his mount to the outside of the track and gave a victory salute.

Mr Firdhaus then realised what he had done and began riding his mount with a view to putting it back in the race, Mr Davidson said. The horse completed the race, finishing in 4th placing.

Mr Carston said that it was quite clear what had happened and Mr Firdhaus could not defend the charge. It was his first day riding on the track, he said. 

Submissions for Penalty:

Mr Davidson said that Mr Firdhaus did not appear on the Stewards’ record sheet. The aggravating factor, Mr Davidson submitted, was that Mr Firdhaus had ridden the winner of Race 3 over 1200 metres and the barriers for Race 4 had been moved 100 metres forward of that starting point. He had been caught out by the tight turning circuit, Mr Davidson said.

Mitigating factors were Mr Firdhaus’s unfamiliarity with the track, his good record and his admission of the breach, Mr Davidson submitted. He referred the Committee to the Penalty Guide starting point of a suspension of 6 weeks and submitted that a suspension for a period in that vicinity was appropriate.

The Committee observed that a significant aggravating factor was that the chances of the horse had, clearly, been affected which impacted on the connections of the horse and the betting public who had invested on the horse. Mr Davidson agreed with that observation as did Mr Carston, who suggested that the horse may have won the race.

Mr Davidson said that Mr Firdhaus had recently come to New Zealand from Singapore and was a promising apprentice, having ridden 5 winners here and 10 in Singapore.

Mr Firdhaus sought a deferment of any suspension to enable him to fulfil riding engagements at the Kumara meeting on 14 January.

Reasons for Penalty:

In determining penalty, the Committee had regard to the starting point of a 6 weeks’ suspension. From that starting point, an uplift was warranted for the aggravating factor referred to of the consequences of Mr Firdhaus’s actions on the connections of the horse and the betting public. The Committee assessed the appropriate uplift for that factor at 1 week. From the point of a 7 weeks’ suspension so reached, the Committee was able to give Mr Firdhaus a discount of 2 weeks for the combined mitigating factors of his good record and admission of the breach.

JCA Decision Fields (raw)

Dmitry: This section contains all JCA fields migrated from the raw data.

Data from these fields should be mapped appropriately to display amongst the standard fields above; please make note of any values below that are missing in the above standard fields but should be there.

hearingid: 3d8eb8f27c09afc4c0259f41e55fceb3


informantnumber: A7789


horsename:


hearing_racingtype:


startdate: no date provided


newcharge: Incompetent Riding


plea: admitted


penaltyrequired: 1


decisiondate: 15/01/2017


hearing_title: Westland RC 11 January 2017 - R 4 - Chair, Mr R McKenzie


charge:


facts:

Following the running of Race 4, Rendel Foster Memorial Hokitika Businesses Cup, an information was filed by Stipendiary Steward, Mr MR Davidson, against Licensed Apprentice Jockey (Class B), Mr R Firdhaus, alleging that Mr Firdhaus, as the rider of LOCALLY SAUCED in the race “rode incompetently in that he miscounted the rounds and eased his mount with 1200 metres to run”.

Mr Firdhaus was present at the hearing of the Information and he indicated that he admitted the breach. He was assisted at the hearing by his employer, Licensed Trainer (Class A), Mr A J Carston.

Rule 638 provides as follows:
(1) A Rider shall not ride a horse in a manner which the Judicial Committee considers to be:
     (e)   incompetent.

Mr Davidson showed a video replay of the relevant part of the race. Mr Firdhaus, riding LOCALLY SAUCED, had led from the start of the 2180 metres race and was clear in the lead as the field neared the winning post for the first time, after approximately 1000 metres, and with one lap of 1200 metres to run.

Mr Firdhaus could be seen to be urging his mount along and took a look back to see where the rest of the field was. He had established a “clear lead”, Mr Davidson said. Mr Firdhaus rode his mount out to the winning post and then stood up and took his mount to the outside of the track and gave a victory salute.

Mr Firdhaus then realised what he had done and began riding his mount with a view to putting it back in the race, Mr Davidson said. The horse completed the race, finishing in 4th placing.

Mr Carston said that it was quite clear what had happened and Mr Firdhaus could not defend the charge. It was his first day riding on the track, he said. 


appealdecision:


isappeal:


submissionsfordecision:


reasonsfordecision:


Decision:

Mr Firdhaus having admitted the breach, the charge was found proved.


sumissionsforpenalty:

Mr Davidson said that Mr Firdhaus did not appear on the Stewards’ record sheet. The aggravating factor, Mr Davidson submitted, was that Mr Firdhaus had ridden the winner of Race 3 over 1200 metres and the barriers for Race 4 had been moved 100 metres forward of that starting point. He had been caught out by the tight turning circuit, Mr Davidson said.

Mitigating factors were Mr Firdhaus’s unfamiliarity with the track, his good record and his admission of the breach, Mr Davidson submitted. He referred the Committee to the Penalty Guide starting point of a suspension of 6 weeks and submitted that a suspension for a period in that vicinity was appropriate.

The Committee observed that a significant aggravating factor was that the chances of the horse had, clearly, been affected which impacted on the connections of the horse and the betting public who had invested on the horse. Mr Davidson agreed with that observation as did Mr Carston, who suggested that the horse may have won the race.

Mr Davidson said that Mr Firdhaus had recently come to New Zealand from Singapore and was a promising apprentice, having ridden 5 winners here and 10 in Singapore.

Mr Firdhaus sought a deferment of any suspension to enable him to fulfil riding engagements at the Kumara meeting on 14 January.


reasonsforpenalty:

In determining penalty, the Committee had regard to the starting point of a 6 weeks’ suspension. From that starting point, an uplift was warranted for the aggravating factor referred to of the consequences of Mr Firdhaus’s actions on the connections of the horse and the betting public. The Committee assessed the appropriate uplift for that factor at 1 week. From the point of a 7 weeks’ suspension so reached, the Committee was able to give Mr Firdhaus a discount of 2 weeks for the combined mitigating factors of his good record and admission of the breach.


penalty:

Mr Firdhaus’s Apprentice Jockey’s licence (Class B) is suspended from after the close of racing on 14 January 2017 up to and including 18 February 2017 – 5 weeks.


hearing_type: Hearing


Rules: 638(1)(e)


Informant: Mr MR Davidson - Stipendiary Steward


JockeysandTrainer: Mr R Firdhaus - Licensed Apprentice Jockey (Class B)


Otherperson: Mr AJ Carston - Licensed Trainer (Class A) assisting Mr Firdhaus


PersonPresent:


Respondent:


StipendSteward:


raceid: 3fb28c709ef4764956dd8cd41c47946f


race_expapproval:


racecancelled: 0


race_noreport: 0


race_emailed1: 0


race_emailed2: 0


race_title: R4


submittochair:


race_expappcomment:


race_km:


race_otherexp:


race_chair:


race_pm1:


race_pm2:


meetid: 18e8d678cac90cccea86b6cf855e69dd


meet_expapproval:


meet_noreport: 0


waitingforpublication: 0


meet_emailed1: 0


meet_emailed2: 0


meetdate: 11/01/2017


meet_title: Westland RC - 11 January 2017


meet_expappcomment:


meet_km:


meet_otherexp:


tracklocation: westland-rc


meet_racingtype: thoroughbred-racing


meet_chair: RMcKenzie


meet_pm1: GClapp


meet_pm2: none


name: Westland RC