Archive Decision

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NZ Metro TC 28 September 2018 – R 3 – Chair, Mr R McKenzie

ID: JCA10622

Applicant:
Mr S P Renault - Stipendiary Steward

Respondent(s):
Mr D J Keast - Licensed Junior Driver

Information Number:
A09992

Hearing Type:
Hearing

New Charge:
Excessive use of the whip

Rules:
869(2) and Use of the Whip Regulations

Plea:
denied

Meet Title:
NZ Metro TC - 28 September 2018

Meet Chair:
RMcKenzie

Meet Committee Member 1:
DJackson

Race Date:
2018/09/28

Race Number:
R 3

Decision:

The charge was found proved.

Penalty:

Mr Keast is fined the sum of $200.

Facts:

Following the running Race 3, 30 September – Last Chance to Win – Cup Day Experience Pace, an information was filed by Stipendiary Steward, Mr S P Renault, against Licensed Junior Driver, Mr D J Keast, alleging that Mr Keast, as the driver of COPPERHEAD ROSE in the race, “used his whip on more occasions than permitted by Clause (b) of the Use of the Whip Regulations”.

Mr Keast was present at the hearing of the information and indicated that he denied the charge. A Junior Horseman, Mr Keast said that he was aware of his right to be assisted at the hearing by a Senior Horseman but said that he waived that right. He confirmed that he understood the Rule, the Regulations and the charge.

Rule 869 provides as follows:

(2) No horseman shall during any race use a whip in a manner in contravention of the Use of the Whip Regulations made by the Board.

The Use of Whip Regulations (effective from 30 November 2017) provide:

(b) No horseman is permitted to use their whip in a striking motion on more than ten occasions inside the final 400 metres. This is inclusive of “backhanders” and the use applies to the horse, harness and/or sulky.

Submissions for Decision:

Mr Renault said that Stewards were alleging that Mr Keast had used his whip on 13 occasions inside the final 400 metres of the race. He proceeded to show a video replay of the final 400 metres and pointed out Mr Keast, driving COPPERHEAD ROSE, positioned four places back in the 3-wide line. Mr Keast pulled the horse out on the turn and it ran on, the widest runner on the track, to win the race.

Mr Renault pointed out Mr Keast activate the removable deafeners and commence using his whip, and alleged that Mr Keast had used his whip 13 times to the finishing line. The video replay was shown several times to the hearing.

Mr Keast was asked by the Committee how many strikes he was prepared to admit to. He replied that he was disputing the three alleged strikes prior to the home turn which, he submitted, were rather in the nature of “pushes”. If those three uses of the whip were to be excluded, the count would be 10 and not a breach of the Regulations, he submitted.

Mr Renault responded that the three strikes in question did involve a striking motion – the whip could be seen to be drawn back and bent and then brought down. He submitted that the three strikes in question were no different from the other strikes that Mr Keast was not contesting. 

Reasons for Decision:

The Stewards alleged that Mr Keast has used his whip on 13 occasions inside the final 400 metres of the race.

Mr Keast has defended the charge on the basis that he disputes the Stewards’ count of 13 strikes. He told the Committee that he accepted that he had used the whip 10 times, but disputed three of the strikes alleged by the Stewards, claiming that three of them prior to the home turn were not strikes but, rather, in the nature of “pushes”.

The hearing then focused on the three uses of the whip in question, before the home turn, and the videos were studied carefully. The Committee could not accept Mr Keast’s submission that they were “pushes”. To strike means to deliver, inflict or deal a stroke. His arm being raised and being brought down on each of the three occasions was clear to the Committee’s satisfaction, as was the downward motion rather than pushing motion of Mr Keast’s whip, which was plainly visible on the video replays.

The Committee is, therefore, satisfied that Mr Keast has used his whip in a striking motion on 13 occasions inside the final 400 metres in breach of the Rule and the Use of the Whip Regulations and, therefore, we find the charge proved.

Submissions for Penalty:

Mr Renault told the Committee that Mr Keast has had 8 drives in the current season to date and, in the 2017/2018 season, had a total of 101 drives. He has a previous breach of the Rule on his record on 2nd March 2018 and, therefore, outside the reset period. Mr Renault referred the Committee to the sliding scale of penalties under the Use of the Whip Regulations and submitted that an appropriate penalty would be a fine of $200.

Reasons for Penalty:

In determining penalty, the Committee had regard to the Penalty Guide in the Use of the Whip Regulations and noted that the “sliding scale” penalty for a first offence, which the present breach is deemed to be, involving a number of strikes in the 11-13 range is a fine of $200. The Committee saw no need to depart from the prescribed penalty.

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: 04d6ee84327230d1ea8cc11710de4416


informantnumber: A09992


horsename:


hearing_racingtype:


startdate: no date provided


newcharge: Excessive use of the whip


plea: denied


penaltyrequired: 1


decisiondate: 02/10/2018


hearing_title: NZ Metro TC 28 September 2018 - R 3 - Chair, Mr R McKenzie


charge:


facts:

Following the running Race 3, 30 September – Last Chance to Win – Cup Day Experience Pace, an information was filed by Stipendiary Steward, Mr S P Renault, against Licensed Junior Driver, Mr D J Keast, alleging that Mr Keast, as the driver of COPPERHEAD ROSE in the race, “used his whip on more occasions than permitted by Clause (b) of the Use of the Whip Regulations”.

Mr Keast was present at the hearing of the information and indicated that he denied the charge. A Junior Horseman, Mr Keast said that he was aware of his right to be assisted at the hearing by a Senior Horseman but said that he waived that right. He confirmed that he understood the Rule, the Regulations and the charge.

Rule 869 provides as follows:

(2) No horseman shall during any race use a whip in a manner in contravention of the Use of the Whip Regulations made by the Board.

The Use of Whip Regulations (effective from 30 November 2017) provide:

(b) No horseman is permitted to use their whip in a striking motion on more than ten occasions inside the final 400 metres. This is inclusive of “backhanders” and the use applies to the horse, harness and/or sulky.


appealdecision:


isappeal:


submissionsfordecision:

Mr Renault said that Stewards were alleging that Mr Keast had used his whip on 13 occasions inside the final 400 metres of the race. He proceeded to show a video replay of the final 400 metres and pointed out Mr Keast, driving COPPERHEAD ROSE, positioned four places back in the 3-wide line. Mr Keast pulled the horse out on the turn and it ran on, the widest runner on the track, to win the race.

Mr Renault pointed out Mr Keast activate the removable deafeners and commence using his whip, and alleged that Mr Keast had used his whip 13 times to the finishing line. The video replay was shown several times to the hearing.

Mr Keast was asked by the Committee how many strikes he was prepared to admit to. He replied that he was disputing the three alleged strikes prior to the home turn which, he submitted, were rather in the nature of “pushes”. If those three uses of the whip were to be excluded, the count would be 10 and not a breach of the Regulations, he submitted.

Mr Renault responded that the three strikes in question did involve a striking motion – the whip could be seen to be drawn back and bent and then brought down. He submitted that the three strikes in question were no different from the other strikes that Mr Keast was not contesting. 


reasonsfordecision:

The Stewards alleged that Mr Keast has used his whip on 13 occasions inside the final 400 metres of the race.

Mr Keast has defended the charge on the basis that he disputes the Stewards’ count of 13 strikes. He told the Committee that he accepted that he had used the whip 10 times, but disputed three of the strikes alleged by the Stewards, claiming that three of them prior to the home turn were not strikes but, rather, in the nature of “pushes”.

The hearing then focused on the three uses of the whip in question, before the home turn, and the videos were studied carefully. The Committee could not accept Mr Keast’s submission that they were “pushes”. To strike means to deliver, inflict or deal a stroke. His arm being raised and being brought down on each of the three occasions was clear to the Committee’s satisfaction, as was the downward motion rather than pushing motion of Mr Keast’s whip, which was plainly visible on the video replays.

The Committee is, therefore, satisfied that Mr Keast has used his whip in a striking motion on 13 occasions inside the final 400 metres in breach of the Rule and the Use of the Whip Regulations and, therefore, we find the charge proved.


Decision:

The charge was found proved.


sumissionsforpenalty:

Mr Renault told the Committee that Mr Keast has had 8 drives in the current season to date and, in the 2017/2018 season, had a total of 101 drives. He has a previous breach of the Rule on his record on 2nd March 2018 and, therefore, outside the reset period. Mr Renault referred the Committee to the sliding scale of penalties under the Use of the Whip Regulations and submitted that an appropriate penalty would be a fine of $200.


reasonsforpenalty:

In determining penalty, the Committee had regard to the Penalty Guide in the Use of the Whip Regulations and noted that the “sliding scale” penalty for a first offence, which the present breach is deemed to be, involving a number of strikes in the 11-13 range is a fine of $200. The Committee saw no need to depart from the prescribed penalty.


penalty:

Mr Keast is fined the sum of $200.


hearing_type: Hearing


Rules: 869(2) and Use of the Whip Regulations


Informant: Mr S P Renault - Stipendiary Steward


JockeysandTrainer: Mr D J Keast - Licensed Junior Driver


Otherperson:


PersonPresent:


Respondent:


StipendSteward:


raceid: 6d39b58407445fd90dad4f290831f701


race_expapproval:


racecancelled: 0


race_noreport: 0


race_emailed1: 0


race_emailed2: 0


race_title: R 3


submittochair:


race_expappcomment:


race_km:


race_otherexp:


race_chair:


race_pm1:


race_pm2:


meetid: 6a82b7e84b650047d8022f581049c811


meet_expapproval:


meet_noreport: 0


waitingforpublication: 0


meet_emailed1: 0


meet_emailed2: 0


meetdate: 28/09/2018


meet_title: NZ Metro TC - 28 September 2018


meet_expappcomment:


meet_km:


meet_otherexp:


tracklocation: nz-metro-tc


meet_racingtype: harness-racing


meet_chair: RMcKenzie


meet_pm1: DJackson


meet_pm2: none


name: NZ Metro TC