Auckland TC – 27 April 2007 – Race 11
ID: JCA21626
Hearing Type (Code):
harness-racing
Meet Title:
Auckland TC - 27 April 2007
Race Date:
2007/04/27
Race Number:
Race 11
Decision: --
An information instigating a protest was lodged by Stipendiary Steward Mr J Muirhead on behalf or METEKHI, driven by Mr D Butcher, placed 9th by the Judge and UMERE ATOM, driven by Mr F Cooney, placed 8th by the Judge, against SHERAKIN STAR, trained and driven by Mr T Grayling, placed 4th by the Judge, on the grounds of interference approximately 200 metres after the start
--
An information instigating a protest was lodged by Stipendiary Steward Mr J Muirhead on behalf or METEKHI, driven by Mr D Butcher, placed 9th by the Judge and UMERE ATOM, driven by Mr F Cooney, placed 8th by the Judge, against SHERAKIN STAR, trained and driven by Mr T Grayling, placed 4th by the Judge, on the grounds of interference approximately 200 metres after the start. Mr Grayling represented the connections of SHERAKIN STAR and Mr Butcher represented the connections of METEKHI.
--Mr Muirhead gave evidence of his observations of the race and his interpretation of the video film. He said that about 200 metres after the start ? just past the winning post, SHERAKIN STAR, after accelerating quickly from the start, moved inwards behind SUE DREAMER, which was leading. Mr Butcher was hunting up METEKHI on the marker pegs to get the trail. He heard Mr Butcher call out. Mr Grayling reacted by turning SHERAKIN STAR's head outwards then slapped the horse up. However, METEKHI was cramped up because SHERAKIN STAR had come across too quickly. METEKHI broke, losing all chance, and caused interference to WALK THIS WAY which in turn caused interference to UMERE ATOM which also broke and lost its chance. Mr Muirhead said there was no contact between SHERAKIN STAR and METEKHI.
--Mr Butcher confirmed most of the evidence of Mr Muirhead. He said he called out to Mr Grayling to "keep out". He confirmed there was no contact between SHERAKIN STAR and METEKHI, and that his sulky did not contact the marker pegs. He said it "got close", METEKHI panicked and broke. He said some horses wouldn?t break in that situation but METEKHI did. He said the committee would have to work out what caused METEKHI to break.
--Mr Grayling said he was intending to trail SUE DREAMER, Mr Butcher called out and he "pulled off". He said there was no contact, no interference by SHERAKIN STAR and that most horses in that situation would not have galloped. He said he stopped coming across when Mr Butcher called out. He noted from the video that Mr Butcher was driving METEKHI with the whip going into the bend.
--The committee adjourned to consider its decision and viewed the video film on a number of occasions. It was noted that Mr Butcher was using his whip and did not attempt to restrain METEKHI and also that METEKHI initially broke for a stride, settled for about three strides and then broke again.
--DECISION AND REASONS
--There does not have to be contact for there to be interference. The key issue is whether METEKHI broke because it was "cramped up" by SHERAKIN STAR or whether it panicked and overreacted when racing in tight quarters. The fact that Mr Butcher did not restrain METEKHI is indicative that he thought it was safe to continue to urge the horse forward. The frank evidence of Mr Butcher that METEKHI panicked and broke, whereas some other horses would not have done so, is critical. Mr Butcher gave the committee the impression that he was unsure what caused METEKHI to break. The manner in which METEKHI broke whilst being urged forward at speed raises the possibility that it simply broke because it could not handle the speed in tight quarters.
--This was a very fine line decision. In the final analysis the committee believed it was more likely than not that METEKHI broke because it panicked and overreacted when racing in tight quarters ? with the possibility that it could not handle the speed, in the circumstances, being a contributing factor.
--The protest is dismissed.
--Subsequent to the committee giving its decision, Mr Muirhead sought and was given leave to withdraw an information he had filed against Mr Grayling alleging careless driving ? a charge which Mr Grayling had indicated he denied.
----B Rowe
Chairman
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: de4142c91a5e87e89b772b4d5c03d21b
informantnumber:
horsename:
hearing_racingtype: harness-racing
startdate: 27/04/2007
newcharge:
plea:
penaltyrequired:
decisiondate: no date provided
hearing_title: Auckland TC - 27 April 2007 - Race 11
charge:
facts:
appealdecision:
isappeal:
submissionsfordecision:
reasonsfordecision:
Decision:
--An information instigating a protest was lodged by Stipendiary Steward Mr J Muirhead on behalf or METEKHI, driven by Mr D Butcher, placed 9th by the Judge and UMERE ATOM, driven by Mr F Cooney, placed 8th by the Judge, against SHERAKIN STAR, trained and driven by Mr T Grayling, placed 4th by the Judge, on the grounds of interference approximately 200 metres after the start
--
An information instigating a protest was lodged by Stipendiary Steward Mr J Muirhead on behalf or METEKHI, driven by Mr D Butcher, placed 9th by the Judge and UMERE ATOM, driven by Mr F Cooney, placed 8th by the Judge, against SHERAKIN STAR, trained and driven by Mr T Grayling, placed 4th by the Judge, on the grounds of interference approximately 200 metres after the start. Mr Grayling represented the connections of SHERAKIN STAR and Mr Butcher represented the connections of METEKHI.
--Mr Muirhead gave evidence of his observations of the race and his interpretation of the video film. He said that about 200 metres after the start ? just past the winning post, SHERAKIN STAR, after accelerating quickly from the start, moved inwards behind SUE DREAMER, which was leading. Mr Butcher was hunting up METEKHI on the marker pegs to get the trail. He heard Mr Butcher call out. Mr Grayling reacted by turning SHERAKIN STAR's head outwards then slapped the horse up. However, METEKHI was cramped up because SHERAKIN STAR had come across too quickly. METEKHI broke, losing all chance, and caused interference to WALK THIS WAY which in turn caused interference to UMERE ATOM which also broke and lost its chance. Mr Muirhead said there was no contact between SHERAKIN STAR and METEKHI.
--Mr Butcher confirmed most of the evidence of Mr Muirhead. He said he called out to Mr Grayling to "keep out". He confirmed there was no contact between SHERAKIN STAR and METEKHI, and that his sulky did not contact the marker pegs. He said it "got close", METEKHI panicked and broke. He said some horses wouldn?t break in that situation but METEKHI did. He said the committee would have to work out what caused METEKHI to break.
--Mr Grayling said he was intending to trail SUE DREAMER, Mr Butcher called out and he "pulled off". He said there was no contact, no interference by SHERAKIN STAR and that most horses in that situation would not have galloped. He said he stopped coming across when Mr Butcher called out. He noted from the video that Mr Butcher was driving METEKHI with the whip going into the bend.
--The committee adjourned to consider its decision and viewed the video film on a number of occasions. It was noted that Mr Butcher was using his whip and did not attempt to restrain METEKHI and also that METEKHI initially broke for a stride, settled for about three strides and then broke again.
--DECISION AND REASONS
--There does not have to be contact for there to be interference. The key issue is whether METEKHI broke because it was "cramped up" by SHERAKIN STAR or whether it panicked and overreacted when racing in tight quarters. The fact that Mr Butcher did not restrain METEKHI is indicative that he thought it was safe to continue to urge the horse forward. The frank evidence of Mr Butcher that METEKHI panicked and broke, whereas some other horses would not have done so, is critical. Mr Butcher gave the committee the impression that he was unsure what caused METEKHI to break. The manner in which METEKHI broke whilst being urged forward at speed raises the possibility that it simply broke because it could not handle the speed in tight quarters.
--This was a very fine line decision. In the final analysis the committee believed it was more likely than not that METEKHI broke because it panicked and overreacted when racing in tight quarters ? with the possibility that it could not handle the speed, in the circumstances, being a contributing factor.
--The protest is dismissed.
--Subsequent to the committee giving its decision, Mr Muirhead sought and was given leave to withdraw an information he had filed against Mr Grayling alleging careless driving ? a charge which Mr Grayling had indicated he denied.
----B Rowe
Chairman
sumissionsforpenalty:
reasonsforpenalty:
penalty:
hearing_type: Old Hearing
Rules:
Informant:
JockeysandTrainer:
Otherperson:
PersonPresent:
Respondent:
StipendSteward:
raceid: da5d4e08c9c1e54e5cb6069b7e54cb8e
race_expapproval:
racecancelled: 0
race_noreport: 0
race_emailed1: 0
race_emailed2: 0
race_title: Race 11
submittochair:
race_expappcomment:
race_km:
race_otherexp:
race_chair:
race_pm1:
race_pm2:
meetid: 070cdb21384543cc1b2b62a2f0a8fe56
meet_expapproval:
meet_noreport: 0
waitingforpublication: 0
meet_emailed1: 0
meet_emailed2: 0
meetdate: 27/04/2007
meet_title: Auckland TC - 27 April 2007
meet_expappcomment:
meet_km:
meet_otherexp:
tracklocation: auckland-tc
meet_racingtype: harness-racing
meet_chair:
meet_pm1:
meet_pm2:
name: Auckland TC