Sam Spratt Gets 2 Week Suspension For Failing to Ride Out Her Horse.....to Finish 4th.

[Chief Stipe]

So Sam's ride is tired but according to the Stipes she didn't show enough vigour and could have improved the horses placing from 5th to 4th.  Deploy is the horse.  Maybe since Sam has been away from riding for so long she isn't au fait with the whip counting rules!

 

[Chief Stipe]

Whangarei RC 9 February 2022 – R1 – Samantha Spratt

ID: RIB7437

Respondent(s):
Samantha Spratt - Jockey

Applicant:
Mr M Williamson - Senior Stipendiary Steward

Adjudicators:
Hon J W Gendall QC

Persons Present:
Mr M Williamson, Mrs S Spratt, Mr A Dooley and Ms L Selvakumaran (Stipendiary Stewards)

Information Number:
A16332

Decision Type:
Adjudicative Decision

Charge:
Failed to ride out

Rule(s):
636(1)(d)

Plea:
Admitted

Stewards Report

Results

Code:
Thoroughbred

Race Date:
09/02/2022

Race Club:
Whangarei Racing Club

Race Location:
Ruakaka Racecourse - Peter Snell Road, Ruakaka, 0151

Race Number:
R1

Hearing Date:
09/02/2022

Hearing Location:
Ruakaka

Outcome: Proved

Penalty: Jockey Samantha Spratt is suspended for 2 weeks

SUMMARY OF FACTS:

Following the running of Race 1, the Alibaba’s Flying Carpets 2 year old, Mr Williamson presented an Information charging Mrs Spratt, the Rider of DEPLOY, with  a breach of Rule 636(1)(d) in that she failed to ride her mount out to the end of the race when there was a reasonable chance of running fourth. It is a breach of the Rule if such failure occurs – where there is a “reasonable chance of [the horse] running into a position for which there is prize money to be awarded or a dividend to be declared”.

DECISION:

As the breach was admitted, it was deemed proved.

SUBMISSIONS FOR PENALTY:

Mrs Selvakumaran demonstrated from the race film that Mrs Spratt rode her mount DEPLOY with vigour when leading well into the home straight.  It was weakening when overtaken by the eventual three placed horses.  About 50 metres from the finish Mrs Spratt stopped her vigour and eased her riding style, and as a consequence, was beaten into 5th by a fast finishing horse TOTAL RECALL. The margin was a lead.

Mrs Spratt submitted that her horse was hanging in, and she was anxious to avoid hitting the running rail so she “stopped riding”.

Mr Williamson submitted that mitigating factors included that Mrs Spratt had only been back riding for 3 days, had a good record for breaching this Rule, and had not attempted to challenge the charge.  It was noted that the difference in prize money was only $360, but punters who had wagered on the “first four” (DEPLOY was second favourite) lost out.

Mrs Spratt accepted that a suspension had to follow given the Penalty Guide of a starting point of 2 weeks.  She queried why this should not be expressed in terms of “days” and was told the Penalty Guide to Adjudicative Committees refers to “days” only for offences of careless riding, breach of the Whip Rules, although it always remains within an Adjudicative Committee’s discretion to fix a penalty, in some circumstances, in a term other than calendar weeks or months, but that should be uncommon.

Mrs Spratt has riding engagements in this next week.

REASONS FOR PENALTY:

After considering the evidence from all parties, the Adjudicative Committee determined that a suspension would be the appropriate penalty in this case.

CONCLUSION:

Accordingly, Mrs Spratt is suspended for 2 weeks, to commence at the conclusion of racing on 16 February 2022 and, to end at the conclusion of racing on 2 March 2022.

[Doomed]

Interesting one. Went from looking the possible winner at the 200m, to running 5th. Tough life for jockeys: don't hit them hard and often enough and get into trouble for not riding them out, hit them too hard and often and get into trouble for that as well.

Consistency is all we ask for. 

[holy ravioli]

Well deserved...you must ride your horse out.

As noted first 4 bettors would be...pissed.

Punters are only 'gamblers' but without them...!

[Chief Stipe]

34 minutes ago, holy ravioli said:

Well deserved...you must ride your horse out.

As noted first 4 bettors would be...pissed.

Punters are only 'gamblers' but without them...!

So in your opinion the horse would have run 4th if "ridden out"?  Does "riding out" mean using ALL your allocated whip strikes?

[billy connolly]

57 minutes ago, holy ravioli said:

Well deserved...you must ride your horse out.

Nonsense, horse was calling for the free air pump a long way out.

Yet another example of how stupid the JCA/RIU currently are and Williamson should know better.

The whole judicial system (from top to bottom) is farcical.

[holy ravioli]

50 minutes ago, Chief Stipe said:

So in your opinion the horse would have run 4th if "ridden out"?  Does "riding out" mean using ALL your allocated whip strikes?

A bit more vigour hands and heels,it would have held 4th.

She was restraining the horse before the turn.

[Chief Stipe]

1 minute ago, holy ravioli said:

A bit more vigour hands and heels,it would have held 4th.

She was restraining the horse before the turn.

FFS Ravioli you don't have a tipping service do you?

The horse wouldn't settle and fought Sam for most of the race.  She let it down in the straight, it responded for a time and then when asked for more effort it had nothing left.

Why flog a spent horse?  How is that good for animal welfare? Especially one that seems to have control issues anyway.

We'll see more of this as our field quality reduces.  Trainers taking their horses to the races to educate and get them fit.

[holy ravioli]

2 hours ago, Chief Stipe said:

FFS Ravioli you don't have a tipping service do you?

The horse wouldn't settle and fought Sam for most of the race.  She let it down in the straight, it responded for a time and then when asked for more effort it had nothing left.

Why flog a spent horse?  How is that good for animal welfare? Especially one that seems to have control issues anyway.

We'll see more of this as our field quality reduces.  Trainers taking their horses to the races to educate and get them fit.

Sorry I can't help you re a tipping service.

I  imagine you would....need one,going by your historical observations of horses and ..riders.

[Chief Stipe]

57 minutes ago, holy ravioli said:

I  imagine you would....need one,going by your historical observations of horses and ..riders.

I can still read a race Ravioli and Deploy was spent. 

[mumbles]

Don't know what the fuss is all about.

She admitted the charge.

 

[Chief Stipe]

8 minutes ago, mumbles said:

Don't know what the fuss is all about.

She admitted the charge.

 

Well that to me is a worrying sign in itself.  Is it an indication of a general resignation amongst licensees that it is better to plead guilty than risk a worse penalty and costs?

[holy ravioli]

On 2/15/2022 at 4:53 PM, Chief Stipe said:

Well that to me is a worrying sign in itself.  Is it an indication of a general resignation amongst licensees that it is better to plead guilty than risk a worse penalty and costs?

Either that or she realised she hade made an ...error!🤪