Forbury Park TC 15 June 2018 – R 3 – Chair, Prof G Hall
ID: JCA18008
Meet Title:
Forbury Park TC - 15 June 2018
Meet Chair:
GHall
Meet Committee Member 1:
PKnowles
Race Date:
2018/06/15
Race Number:
R 3
Decision:
The charge is thus upheld.
Penalty:
Mr Williamson is fined the sum of $200.
Facts:
Following the running of race 3 the St Kilda Darts Club (Team 1) Handicap Trot, the Stipendiary Stewards lodged an Information alleging Mr B Williamson (FEATHER BOYZ) was in breach of r 857(7) (a) in that he delayed the start.
Rule 857 reads: (7) No horseman shall (a) delay the start.
Mr Williamson appeared at the hearing and did not admit the charge.
Submissions for Decision:
Mr Ydgren, with the aid of the side on videos, pointed out the position of FEATHER BOYZ prior to the start. He said FEATHER BOYZ was drawn one on the front line and, as Mr Williamson turned and lined up to the barrier, he released his hold on the horse’s head which allowed FEATHER BOYZ to rush the tape. When FEATHER BOYZ breasted the tape Mr Williamson took a hold. At the same time, the starter released the tapes. Soon after, the starter declared a false start. Mr Ydgren stated that the Stewards had viewed the tapes carefully and could not see that Mr Williamson was having any difficulty with his horse.
Mr Johnson, the Official Starter, gave evidence and stated he did not see FEATHER BOYZ giving Mr Williamson any difficulty when he turned to approach the barrier. He said he asked the field to straighten up and did not talk to Mr Williamson. He had expected that Mr Williamson would have had full control of his horse. He stated FEATHER BOYZ had broken through the barrier strand before he released it. He declared a false start as a consequence.
When questioned by Mr Williamson as to whether he had had a tight hold of FEATHER BOYZ before the start, Mr Johnson said that Mr Williamson did not slap the horse but he had released the tightness of his hold on the reins when he (Mr Johnson) had asked the horses to straighten up.
Mr Williamson stated FEATHER BOYZ had a new trainer and had been freshened for this race. The horse had not been worked in a cart and it had changes to its gear. He had never had a problem with this horse before. He said when he turned to face the barrier the horse bounded forward when it should have stood, and it had rushed the barrier causing it to breast the tape. He agreed he had the horse under a tight hold when turning but he did not believe he had relaxed his hold on the horse significantly after he had straightened. He may have released the excessive grip he had had on the horse when turning before the start but he was certain he had not urged the horse forward or pushed it through the tape. He emphasised he had taken a hold immediately the horse breasted the barrier. He said FEATHER BOYZ was usually quiet at the start but on this occasion he felt the horse’s manners were a contributing factor. He had not tried to gain an advantage. He also stated the horse had bled after the race.
In summary Mr Munro stated that the video footage showed that Mr Williamson had relaxed his hold of the horse and had allowed FEATHER BOYZ to charge the barrier strand in anticipation of the release of the tape. He had misjudged the start and in so doing had caused a false start. Mr Munro confirmed that FEATHER BOYZ had been vetted after the race and found to be a bleeder. The horse had been stood down for 30 days. He emphasised that the Stewards did not believe this had any bearing on the breach.
Mr Williamson stated it was the horse’s barrier manners and its recent change in training programme that had caused the horse to breast the tape, which led to the false start. He did not believe he was responsible.
Reasons for Decision:
Horsemen are required to have their horses back from the tape when it is released by the starter. On this occasion FEATHER BOYZ had broached the barrier and broken the tape before the starter had released the field. The Stewards alleged Mr Williamson had allowed his horse to rush forward in anticipation of the start being effected. Mr Williamson stated his horse had rushed the barrier on its own accord. The horse had a new trainer with a different training programme and had been freshened for the race.
After viewing the videos we are satisfied that there is no evidence that FEATHER BOYZ was giving Mr Williamson any undue difficulty before the start of the race. The Starter’s evidence is very clear and is also to this effect. We are satisfied that Mr Williamson anticipated the release of the tapes and relaxed his grip on FEATHER BOYZ, as is alleged by the Informant and is supported by the Starter’s evidence. FEATHER BOYZ then took a few steps forward and broke the barrier strand. This misjudgment by Mr Williamson may have been due to the fact that, as he has said, the horse was in a fresh state. The horse had not behaved in this manner before and this had not been anticipated by the respondent. This led to the start being delayed in that a false start was declared.
Submissions for Penalty:
Mr Munro said Mr Williamson has an excellent record and no prior breaches of this rule. Mr Williamson had had 414 drives last season and 427 drives to-date this season. The JCA Penalty Guide recommends a six drive suspension or a $300 fine. He said the breach was at the lower end of the scale and sought a fine of between $200 and $250.
Mr Williamson made no specific submissions on penalty.
Reasons for Penalty:
We take guidance from the Penalty Guide. Considering that the respondent has no prior breaches of this rule and the breach is at the low end of the scale, a fine is appropriate. While there was a delay to the start, no horses were late scratched and no horse gained an advantage through Mr Williamson’s actions.
Mr Williamson is a very busy driver and has no previous breaches of this rule. His driving record overall is excellent.
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: e14b16c9e830fdd881fb382d8debfc06
informantnumber: A10517
horsename:
hearing_racingtype:
startdate: no date provided
newcharge: Delaying the start
plea: denied
penaltyrequired: 1
decisiondate: 18/06/2018
hearing_title: Forbury Park TC 15 June 2018 - R 3 - Chair, Prof G Hall
charge:
facts:
Following the running of race 3 the St Kilda Darts Club (Team 1) Handicap Trot, the Stipendiary Stewards lodged an Information alleging Mr B Williamson (FEATHER BOYZ) was in breach of r 857(7) (a) in that he delayed the start.
Rule 857 reads: (7) No horseman shall (a) delay the start.
Mr Williamson appeared at the hearing and did not admit the charge.
appealdecision:
isappeal:
submissionsfordecision:
Mr Ydgren, with the aid of the side on videos, pointed out the position of FEATHER BOYZ prior to the start. He said FEATHER BOYZ was drawn one on the front line and, as Mr Williamson turned and lined up to the barrier, he released his hold on the horse’s head which allowed FEATHER BOYZ to rush the tape. When FEATHER BOYZ breasted the tape Mr Williamson took a hold. At the same time, the starter released the tapes. Soon after, the starter declared a false start. Mr Ydgren stated that the Stewards had viewed the tapes carefully and could not see that Mr Williamson was having any difficulty with his horse.
Mr Johnson, the Official Starter, gave evidence and stated he did not see FEATHER BOYZ giving Mr Williamson any difficulty when he turned to approach the barrier. He said he asked the field to straighten up and did not talk to Mr Williamson. He had expected that Mr Williamson would have had full control of his horse. He stated FEATHER BOYZ had broken through the barrier strand before he released it. He declared a false start as a consequence.
When questioned by Mr Williamson as to whether he had had a tight hold of FEATHER BOYZ before the start, Mr Johnson said that Mr Williamson did not slap the horse but he had released the tightness of his hold on the reins when he (Mr Johnson) had asked the horses to straighten up.
Mr Williamson stated FEATHER BOYZ had a new trainer and had been freshened for this race. The horse had not been worked in a cart and it had changes to its gear. He had never had a problem with this horse before. He said when he turned to face the barrier the horse bounded forward when it should have stood, and it had rushed the barrier causing it to breast the tape. He agreed he had the horse under a tight hold when turning but he did not believe he had relaxed his hold on the horse significantly after he had straightened. He may have released the excessive grip he had had on the horse when turning before the start but he was certain he had not urged the horse forward or pushed it through the tape. He emphasised he had taken a hold immediately the horse breasted the barrier. He said FEATHER BOYZ was usually quiet at the start but on this occasion he felt the horse’s manners were a contributing factor. He had not tried to gain an advantage. He also stated the horse had bled after the race.
In summary Mr Munro stated that the video footage showed that Mr Williamson had relaxed his hold of the horse and had allowed FEATHER BOYZ to charge the barrier strand in anticipation of the release of the tape. He had misjudged the start and in so doing had caused a false start. Mr Munro confirmed that FEATHER BOYZ had been vetted after the race and found to be a bleeder. The horse had been stood down for 30 days. He emphasised that the Stewards did not believe this had any bearing on the breach.
Mr Williamson stated it was the horse’s barrier manners and its recent change in training programme that had caused the horse to breast the tape, which led to the false start. He did not believe he was responsible.
reasonsfordecision:
Horsemen are required to have their horses back from the tape when it is released by the starter. On this occasion FEATHER BOYZ had broached the barrier and broken the tape before the starter had released the field. The Stewards alleged Mr Williamson had allowed his horse to rush forward in anticipation of the start being effected. Mr Williamson stated his horse had rushed the barrier on its own accord. The horse had a new trainer with a different training programme and had been freshened for the race.
After viewing the videos we are satisfied that there is no evidence that FEATHER BOYZ was giving Mr Williamson any undue difficulty before the start of the race. The Starter’s evidence is very clear and is also to this effect. We are satisfied that Mr Williamson anticipated the release of the tapes and relaxed his grip on FEATHER BOYZ, as is alleged by the Informant and is supported by the Starter’s evidence. FEATHER BOYZ then took a few steps forward and broke the barrier strand. This misjudgment by Mr Williamson may have been due to the fact that, as he has said, the horse was in a fresh state. The horse had not behaved in this manner before and this had not been anticipated by the respondent. This led to the start being delayed in that a false start was declared.
Decision:
The charge is thus upheld.
sumissionsforpenalty:
Mr Munro said Mr Williamson has an excellent record and no prior breaches of this rule. Mr Williamson had had 414 drives last season and 427 drives to-date this season. The JCA Penalty Guide recommends a six drive suspension or a $300 fine. He said the breach was at the lower end of the scale and sought a fine of between $200 and $250.
Mr Williamson made no specific submissions on penalty.
reasonsforpenalty:
We take guidance from the Penalty Guide. Considering that the respondent has no prior breaches of this rule and the breach is at the low end of the scale, a fine is appropriate. While there was a delay to the start, no horses were late scratched and no horse gained an advantage through Mr Williamson’s actions.
Mr Williamson is a very busy driver and has no previous breaches of this rule. His driving record overall is excellent.
penalty:
Mr Williamson is fined the sum of $200.
hearing_type: Hearing
Rules: 857(7)(a)
Informant: Mr V Munro - Stipendiary Steward
JockeysandTrainer: Mr B Williamson - Open Horseman
Otherperson: Mr A Johnson - Official Starter, Mr N Ydgren - Chief Stipendiary Steward
PersonPresent:
Respondent:
StipendSteward:
raceid: 1053fc98faaa6cacd23477032d2dae7b
race_expapproval:
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race_noreport: 0
race_emailed1: 0
race_emailed2: 0
race_title: R 3
submittochair:
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meetdate: 15/06/2018
meet_title: Forbury Park TC - 15 June 2018
meet_expappcomment:
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tracklocation: forbury-park-tc
meet_racingtype: harness-racing
meet_chair: GHall
meet_pm1: PKnowles
meet_pm2: none
name: Forbury Park TC