Chief Stipe

Finnegan 'taken aback' by ban Ryan Reynolds@Reynolds_R 8 April, 2022 Trainer Francis Finnegan (Image: Racing Photos) Francis Finnegan says he's 'confused' and 'taken aback' by a ruling from the Victorian Racing Tribunal to disqualify him from training for two years. On Thursday, the VRT handed down the hefty penalty after a long-running case regarding the incorrect identification of Finnegan's horse No Frontiers in a series of Cranbourne jumpouts in the autumn of 2020. It was argued by Racing Victoria stewards that Finnegan knowingly allowed the filly to have three jumpouts in the name of stablemates Avozhina and Getemhel prior to being heavily backed and making a winning debut at Bairnsdale. While he pleaded guilty to two of the charges, Finnegan had contested another two charges relating to providing false or misleading evidence to stewards and 'engaging in dishonest, fraudulent, improper or dishonourable action or practice in connection with racing' - the latter which brought the most serious sanction of his four concurrent bans. It's the first time the trainer has fallen foul of authorities in a 15-year career in New Zealand and Australia. Speaking from Ireland on Friday, Finnegan confirmed he will appeal the severity of the penalty via the Supreme Court. He said he expected to receive a sanction, albeit something similar to the $5000 fine Darren Weir received from RV in 2018 when he pleaded guilty to listing the incorrect names of seven horses in a set of Ballarat jumpouts. Matt Laurie received a $500 fine for negligently trialing a horse entered as another named horse in a Mornington jumpout in June 2020. A Group 1-winning horseman in New Zealand, Finnegan admitted that while it was an oversight not to update the Cranbourne Turf Club's jumpout results, he had operated within a system that allowed horses to be added or removed from jumpouts with minimal notice. Unlike official trials, for which entries and results are managed by RV, the Cranbourne jumpouts and other local jumpouts are managed and overseen by the individual race clubs. "I did not deliberately run No Frontiers under the name of two other horses - I ran her in a system that permitted change," Finnegan said. "The two original horses which I had nominated for the jumpouts were withdrawn for different reasons and the substitute horse (No Frontiers) was run under with its actual name to be furnished to Cranbourne Turf Club. "Unfortunately, due to the loose system and the timeframe, plus other pressures we have, this didn't happen." Finnegan said he had no intention to mislead punters or bookmakers by making the switches. No Frontiers firmed from a pre-race-day opening price of $26 into $8 ahead of her debut start at Bairnsdale. Her official price fluctuations were $5.50 into $4.80 before drifting out to her official starting price of $8. Finnegan said he backed the filly in accordance with his regular betting habits and pointed to evidence tendered during the investigation that at least one professional punter not connected with the stable backed the horse to win a large sum of money. "I volunteered that I had my normal bet on the filly, which I partly owned and that my wife Samantha, who is an experienced rider, also backed her," he said. "There is evidence that several significant professional punters backed the horse based on their knowledge of previous jumpouts where No Frontiers was correctly identified. "I cooperated with the stewards at all stages and explained that in substituting No Frontiers in the jumpout at a late stage, I was merely following permitted and utilised practice by many other trainers. "No false evidence was given but regrettably stewards have failed to recognise this." In July last year, jockey Ben Thompson was suspended for four months for his role in the saga, having ridden No Frontiers in a jumpout and on debut at Bairnsdale.

MEETING NEWS Taranaki to race at Hawera on May 14 The Taranaki meeting scheduled for Saturday 14 May will now race at Hawera. The Open will now be 2100m while the R65 will be 2200m.

AWT construction?

Trainer rubbed out over horse swap Francis Finnegan has been disqualified for two years in relation to conduct-related charges. Picture: Racing Photos By Gilbert Gardiner 06:31pm • 07 April 2022 Trainer Francis Finnegan has been handed a two-year disqualification for concealing the identity of the horse No Frontiers to make a profit from betting. Cranbourne horseman Finnegan, 37, who returned to his native Ireland last November, jumped out No Frontiers under a false name three times in 2020 prior to the mare’s winning debut at Bairnsdale. Successful bets of $3000 and $1000 – at odds of about $14 respectively – were placed on No Frontiers through Finnegan’s wife’s betting account. The Victorian Racing Tribunal on April 1 found Finnegan guilty of all four charges, the most serious being engaging in dishonest, corrupt, fraudulent, improper or dishonourable action. The panel heard submissions on penalty on Thursday. Stewards asked the VRT for a three-year disqualification for the deceitful conduct, while barrister Finlay Davies, acting on behalf of Finnegan, called for a six to eight month suspension. The VRT settled on the two-year disqualification, along with three separate suspensions – comprising a total of 14 months – for conduct-related charges, including lying to stewards. The penalties are to be served concurrently. Judge John Bowman said Finnegan’s “reprehensible conduct” damaged the image of racing and attempted to “deceive the betting public”. The VRT heard previously Finnegan jumped out No Frontiers at Cranbourne under the name of Avozinha on March 23, 2020 and twice – April 6 and 20 – as Getemhel. Counsel acting for stewards on Thursday described Finnegan’s actions as “unprecedented offending”. “It involved the most elaborate and deceptive course of conduct over a period of a few months,” counsel said. “Mr Finnegan jumped out No Frontiers under a false name on three occasions before winning and profiting from the race in Bairnsdale. “Mr Finnegan and his wife backed No Frontiers and made a substantial profit, as did people associated with Mr Finnegan, and it’s difficult to think of more reprehensible conduct against the betting public.” Finnegan did not attend the penalty hearing on advice from his counsel. Queensland-based jockey Ben Thompson, who rode No Frontiers, was disqualified last year for four months for his role. Finnegan has trained 72 winners from 824 starters. He prepared a Group 1 winner in New Zealand prior to relocating to Cranbourne.

The error was when they started closing and converting those glorious big grass tracks. Although to be fair they had to share them with the galloping code and neither code maintained them as they should have. Generally built bigger white elephant stands rather than investing into the tracks and facilities for the horses.

Are you taking the piss? The AWT'S are the white elephants 🐘 of the industry. The maintenance costs will drain the life from the other clubs and will anchor the industry in a quagmire for a very long time.

FFS I didn't say she wasn't doing a "bloody good job". Sometimes you can have too much advice and to suggest that she does get advice or infer that's possibly the reason for her success diminishes her achievements. I'd like to think that she is talented in her own right and doesn't often need to seek advice from all those within 100 miles of her!!!

The rewards may be different but the crime is the same. Surely the intent of penalties for the offence is to improve the quality of the riding. It is a bit like saying if I steal a rich man's horse I should get longer in jail than if I stole a poor man's horse. The poor man has been hurt more than the rich man.

Probably too much advice.

The Gallops have followed the same strategy and are achieving the same negative result. In OZ they are feeding money back into provincial, country and bush racing with a positive result. Simple cause and effect would give you the obvious answer.

No dickhead. If you kept up with NZ Racing you would have noticed that this was a specially requested trial for Black Type horses only.

Really? What do you determine to be a good landing? A bad landing? Coppins was commenting on what the Jockey should do with his whip and hands. Are you qualified to tell a pilot what he should have done with the controls of his aeroplane to make the landing a good one? Perhaps she hadn't come to the end of her run but she certainly wasn't going to go faster which she needed to do to win. Why? The outcome of errant riding is the same regardless of what type of race it is. Isn't the objective to improve the quality of the riding and make it safer? Therefore the crime determines the penalty not the class of the race. Which one?

Perhaps the TAB should open a special book on this trial! 12:10 OPN Catchweight 1050 OPN HCP 1050m Open /Close Plc Horse Jockey Trainer 1 Meritable (AUS) (3c Snitzel (AUS) - Crystal Flute (AUS)) Murray Baker & Andrew Forsman, Cambridge 2 Sword Of State (AUS) (3c Snitzel (AUS) - In The Vanguard (AUS)) Mark Walker, Matamata 3 Coventina Bay (6m Shamexpress - Coventina) Robbie Patterson, New Plymouth 4 Dragon Queen (4m Sweynesse (AUS) - Happy Endings) Michael Moroney & Pam Gerard, Matamata 5 Letzbeglam (AUS) (4m Snitzel (AUS) - Miss Charming (USA)) Leith Innes Lance Noble, Karaka 6 Helena Baby (7g Guillotine - Hot Stash (AUS)) John Bell, Cambridge 7 Levante (5m Proisir (AUS) - Island Doy (GB)) Ken & Bev Kelso, Matamata 8 Mai Tai (5m Atlante (AUS) - Tropical Punch) Mark Walker, Matamata 9 Entriviere (5m Tavistock - Marcey's Belt (AUS)) Mark Walker, Matamata 10 Farrenc (3f Dalghar (FR) - Musical Magic (GB)) Simon & Katrina Alexander, Matamata 11 Bonny Lass (3f Super Easy - Posh Bec)

So I guess you are inferring that the RIB ARE being consistent in the application of penalties i.e. they are consistent with the guidelines. I disagree. However does it follow that the problem lies with the NZTR guidelines?

You're welcome.

Uh? Which horse is that?

And once not easy to win.

That isn't my point although it does support it. In my opinion it is one of the reasons for the decline. I just can't see how a racecourse can be sustainable economically without resident trainers nor a decent horse population within 150km. Travel costs including time on the road is killing those that don't have substantial horse numbers close by.

Depends what time of day. Took me 90 mins to go 11km from St Heliers to the Park once.

Danis get's 5 days - two days discount because of Covid! Plus he gets an extra day because his mount was relegated!!!!! Eh? Is that natural justice? The penalty for one is influenced by the outcome of a related case? BUT he only gets 5 days (not black type) and NO fine (not black type). Yet his offense would rank higher than the other two!!

Then there is this one by Darren Danis. Submission for Penalty: Mr Williamson advised that the Respondent has a very good record having not breached the Careless Riding Rule in the past 12 months. Mr Williamson said Stewards assessed the level of carelessness to be in the low range, but the fact that his mount was relegated is an aggravating factor. He invited the Adjudicative Committee to take into account when assessing penalty, the impact that Covid-19 is currently having on Rider availability. The Respondent did not seek a deferment to any proposed suspension. He offered no submissions as to penalty. Reasons for Penalty: After considering the submissions, the Adjudicator determined the Respondent’s carelessness to be in the low to mid-range which has a starting point of a 6-day (suspension). This conforms with the NZTR Penalty Guide (as of 1 March 2022). Mr Danis continued to ride forward whilst his mount drifted outward 6 to 8 horse widths. He had ample opportunity to stop riding and straighten his mount. Had he paused and straightened, he may have limited interference to DIONYSUS. It is an aggravating factor that as a result of his carelessness, his mount was relegated. Accordingly, a one-day uplift is applied to the 6-day starting point. After taking into account the Respondent’s very good riding record, his admission of the breach and the fact that currently Rider availability is being impacted due to Covid-19, a 2-day reduction is applied to the starting point. After consideration of the above factors, a 5-day suspension is imposed. Conclusion – Penalty: Mr Danis’ Licence to ride in races is suspended for a period of 5 days commencing after racing on 2 April 2022 and concluding after racing on 9 April 2022.

Cavallo Veloce nearly fell!!! So you can't straighten a horse with a whip? So one day added for a Listed Race......is it 2 for a Group 2/3 and 3 for a Group 1? Note nothing added for the severity of the offense! So Yanagida gets 7 days and $500 whereas Weatherley gets 8 days and $2,000. Which effort was worse? In my opinion Yanagida's by a country mile!!! Ironically they both would have got more if they hadn't pleaded guilty!!

Manawatu RC 2 April 2022 – R5 – Taiki Yanagida ID: RIB8418 Respondent(s): Taiki Yanagida - Jockey Applicant: K Coppins Adjudicators: N Moffatt and N McCutcheon Persons Present: T Yanagida, K Coppins, M Austin Information Number: A17301 Decision Type: Adjudicative Decision Charge: careless riding Rule(s): 638(1)(d) Plea: Admitted Stewards Report Results Animal Name: GERMANICUS Code: Thoroughbred Race Date: 02/04/2022 Race Club: Manawatu Race Club Race Location: Awapuni Racing Centre - 67 Racecourse Road, Awapuni, Palmerston North, 4412 Race Number: R5 Hearing Date: 02/04/2022 Hearing Location: Awapuni Racecourse Outcome: Proved Penalty: Jockey Taiki Yanagida is suspended for 7 days and fined $500 Evidence: Following the running of Race 5, the Respondent, Class A Rider Mr Taiki Yanagida, admitted a charge of careless riding which was filed pursuant to Rule 638(1)(d). The Information alleged that as the Rider of GERMANICUS, Mr Yanagida allowed his mount to shift inwards near the 150 metres dictating BRANDO (O Bosson) which in turn dictated PROVIDENCEPROVIDES (W Pinn) into the line of CAVALLO VELOCE (S McKay) which clipped a heel and blundered badly. Mr Yanagida 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 all available race films, Stipendiary Steward Mr M Austin demonstrated the incident and identified the horses and Riders concerned. Stipendiary Steward Mr K Coppins said that just past the 200m mark Mr Yanagida, who was on the very outside of the field, allowed his mount to shift inwards dictating Mr Bosson’s mount inwards. In an attempt to straighten his horse, Mr Yanagida swapped the whip to his inside hand but the Stewards believed he did not do enough. In response, Mr Yanagida said that when his horse got to the front next to Mr Bosson, it started to roll inwards and it was also running away from the Marsh runner coming down on his outside. Mr Yanagida tried to straighten his line of running by using his hands, but GERMANICUS did not respond to him. To relieve the pressure on Mr Bosson, he moved the whip to his left hand and straightened his mount by using the whip. Decision: As Mr Yanagida admitted the breach the Adjudicative Committee finds the breach proved Submission for Penalty: Mr Coppins produced Mr Yanagida’s careless riding record: 1/1/22 Auckland (low end) 5 days 6/11/21 Waikato (mid-range) 7 days + $200 2/10/21 Hastings (mid-range) 8 days 14/8/21 Waikato (mid-range) 5 days + $500 Mr Coppins said Stewards assessed the level of carelessness to be in the high range due to the fact that CAVELLO VELOCE blundered like it did. Mr Yanagida advised that he was about to begin a suspension for excessive whip use which would end on April 6th. Reasons for Penalty: There is no doubt that GERMANICUS shifted inwards from its position wide on the track which set up a concertina affect to runners on its inside culminating in CAVELLO VELOCE clipping a heel and nearly falling. The films provide credible evidence to support Mr Yanagida’s statement that he did attempt to straighten his mount however he erred in not placing both hands back on the reins. Drawing the whip is not an acceptable way to straighten a horse. In addition, Mr Bosson’s mount shifted in more than it needed to which heightened the effect to inside runners. After considering all submissions the Adjudicative Committee determined that Mr Yanagida’s carelessness sat in the mid-range. The Adjudicative Committee adopted a starting point of 7 days which conforms with the NZTR Penalty Guide (as of 1 March 2022). Taking into account Mr Yanagida’s record which we treated as a neutral factor, the Adjudicative Committee applied a 1 day uplift to reflect the Listed status of the race and reduced this by 1 day for his admission of the breach. After consideration of all the above factors, a 7-day suspension was considered appropriate. Due to the Black Type status of the race a monetary penalty has also been added. Conclusion – Penalty: Mr Yanagida’s licence to ride in races is suspended for a period of 7 days, commencing after racing on Wednesday April 6th and concluding after racing on Saturday April 16th. In addition, there is a $500 fine.

Has Mr K Coppins ever ridden a horse? I don't know just asking for a friend. In my opinion Innes knew Wolverine had come to the end of her run and wasn't going to get past Maven Belle i.e. he milked it a bit and he himself didn't take positive action. Have they promised Lethal the ride in OZ? I don't support the approach that because we are short of experienced Jockey's penalties for careless or dangerous riding should be reduced. Lethal may or may not be going to OZ but Sam is!!! An accurate description. WTF does it being a Group1 race have to do with a penalty for careless or dangerous riding? Is the message being sent - "you can bowl someone over in a Ruakaka Maiden and get less days just don't do it in a Group race!" What? So if a rider WINS he gets fined more irrespective! Just blatant money grabbing of Stakes money driven in part by the under funding of the RIB. Mmmm now compare this to another suspension on the day.

Manawatu RC 2 April 2022 – R6 – Sam Weatherley ID: RIB8419 Respondent(s): Sam Weatherley - Jockey Applicant: Mr K Coppins Adjudicators: N Moffatt and N McCutcheon Persons Present: Mr K Coppins, Mr M Austin, Mr S Weatheley Information Number: A17304 Decision Type: Adjudicative Decision Charge: Careless Riding Rule(s): 638(1)(d) Plea: Admitted Stewards Report Results Animal Name: MAVEN BELLE Code: Thoroughbred Race Date: 02/04/2022 Race Club: Manawatu Race Club Race Location: Awapuni Racing Centre - 67 Racecourse Road, Awapuni, Palmerston North, 4412 Race Number: R6 Hearing Date: 02/04/2022 Hearing Location: Awapuni Racecourse Outcome: Proved Penalty: Jockey Sam Weatherley is suspended for 8 days and fined $2000 Evidence: Following the running of Race 6 (Group 1 Manawatu Sires Produce), the Respondent, Class A Rider Mr S Weatherley, admitted a charge of careless riding which was filed pursuant to Rule 638(1)(d). The Information alleged that as the Rider of MAVEN BELLE he allowed his mount to shift outwards into the line of WOLVERINE (L Innes) which was hampered near the 75 metres. Mr Weatherley 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 head-on film, Stipendiary Steward Mr M Austin identified Mr Weatherley in front on the fence riding MAVEN BELLE with WOLVERINE out in the middle of the track. Stipendiary Steward Mr K Coppins said that when MAVEN BELLE ran out into the line of WOLVERINE, Mr Weatherley did not do enough to straighten his mount in that he continued to use the whip rather than put his hand back on the reins. In response, Mr Weatherley agreed that his horse had moved out under pressure, and due to a bit of greenness, but maintained that he did try to straighten it when it got close to WOLVERINE. He said he put his whip away and Mr Innes was hampered only slightly in the incident. Decision: As Mr Weatherley admitted the breach the Adjudicative Committee finds the breach proved Submission for Penalty: Mr Coppins produced Mr Weatherley’s careless riding record: 1/1/22 Auckland 10 days +$1000 19/11/21 Taranaki 4 days 4/9/21 Waikato 7 days 2/9/21 Cambridge 3 days Mr Weatherley has had 422 mounts in the past 12 months. Mr Coppins said Stewards assessed the level of carelessness to be below midrange. He also said that Adjudicative Committees in the Northern region had recently been taking into account the effects of Covid when arriving at penalties. Mr Weatherley said that he was a busy Rider who often has a full book of rides, but he had missed some riding lately due to sickness. He considers himself a clean Rider and said that he is due to ride his father’s horse in Sydney on April 16th which is the opportunity of a lifetime for him. Reasons for Penalty: In the home straight, Mr Weatherley was on the fence and well in the lead. From his position on the rail, he began to move outwards, which he was entitled to do so because he was clear of any other runner. The charge of careless riding arose only from when he got close to WOLVERINE and went 2 strides too far before taking corrective action. Mr Weatherley put his whip away and did not use it again apart from one strike right on the finish line. The Adjudicative Committee determined that Mr Weatherley’s carelessness sat below midrange. We adopted a starting point of 6 days which conforms with the NZTR Penalty Guide (as of 1 March 2022). The Group 1 status of the race elevated the number of days by 3 to 9 days. Taking into account Mr Weatherley’s record, which we treated as a neutral factor, we allowed a 1-day reduction for his admission of the breach arriving at an 8- day suspension. For breaches occurring in “black -type” races particularly where the Jockey has won the race it is common for Adjudicative Committees to impose an additional monetary penalty. After consideration of all the above factors, an 8-day suspension and a fine was deemed an appropriate penalty. Conclusion – Penalty: Mr Weatherley’s licence to ride in races is suspended for a period of 8 days, commencing after racing today and concluding after racing on Thursday April 14th. In addition he is fined the sum of $2000.