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Driver tells Stewards where to shove the whip rules!!


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NZ Metropolitan TC 21 April 2022 – R6 – (heard at Rangiora on 8 May 2022) – Ian Cameron

ID: RIB8975

Respondent(s):
Ian Cameron - Driver

Applicant:
Paul Williams, Stipendiary Steward

Adjudicators:
Russell McKenzie (Chair) and Liana Yong

Persons Present:
Mr Williams, Mr Cameron, Mr N McIntyre Chief Stipendiary Steward

Information Number:
A16141

Decision Type:
Adjudicative Decision

Charge:
Misconduct

Rule(s):
303(2)

Plea:
Admitted

Stewards Report

Results

Code:
Harness

Race Date:
21/04/2022

Race Club:
NZ Metropolitan Trotting Club Inc

Race Location:
Addington Raceway - 75 Jack Hinton Drive, Addington, Christchurch, 8024

Race Number:
R6

Hearing Date:
08/05/2022

Hearing Location:
Rangiora Racecourse, Rangiora

Outcome: Proved

Penalty: Driver Ian Cameron, fined $500

BACKGROUND:

Information No. A16141 filed by Stipendiary Steward, Paul Williams, alleges that the Respondent, Driver, Ian Cameron, misconducted himself when failing to remain in the Stewards Room and directing offensive language towards Stewards, following Race 6, Airpark Canterbury Handicap Trot.

The Information was filed with the Adjudicative Committee on race night and heard at the meeting of Rangiora HRC at Rangiora on 8 May 2022.

The Respondent had signed the information ”I do admit a breach of the Rule”. 

Rule 303 provides:

(2)  No person or body who holds a permit or licence under these Rules and no owner, trainer, breeder, stablehand, unlicensed apprentice or racing manager shall misconduct himself or fail to comply with any request, direction, or instruction of any Stipendiary Steward, Racing Investigator or Starter.

EVIDENCE:

Chief Stipendiary Steward, Nigel McIntyre, said that the Respondent was requested by Stewards to attend an inquiry into his whip use when driving PRINCE TEKA in Race 6 at the meeting. It was indicated to the Respondent that he was to be charged. Mr McIntyre produced a copy of the interview with Mr Cameron, which Mr Cameron accepted was an accurate record.

PW   The Rules say you cannot engage the elbow or the shoulder.

IC     Yeah

PW   We are going to put a charge to the Committee because you were warned five starts ago.

IC     Just forget it. I’m finished that will do me. I can’t be bothered with this. That’s the bloody end of it.

PW   Mr Cameron

IC     I can’ t be bothered with this. I’ve listened to bullshit.

PW   Mr Cameron

IC     No. Shove it up your arse.

Mr McIntyre said that it is unacceptable to talk to Stewards in that manner. Mr Cameron has been driving for a long time and he has always been good to deal with in the past. Mr Cameron accepts that this behaviour was unacceptable and has admitted the breach. Mr Cameron’s refusal to accept the charge on the day has resulted in a delay in the whip charge being heard.

Mr Cameron said that when Stewards told him he was to be charged for his whip action, he had referred to the whip action of the driver of the winner of the race. Stewards told him that they were not looking at that driver, but only at him. He said that it was only the second time he had driven with a whip in the last 2-3 months. He had been justifiably warned recently for his whip use but he felt that, in this race, his actions had been no different from the actions of the driver of the winning horse. This had upset him, he said.

DECISION:

The Respondent having admitted the breach it is found proved.

SUBMISSIONS FOR PENALTY:

Mr McIntyre referred the Committee to the penalties handed down in three recent misconduct cases. Those penalties were $850, $800 and $400. The level of offending in the first two cases was higher than in this case. The lowest of the fines was in a case where the Respondent had been told a charge would be laid and had showed a lack of respect for the Stewards. The present case is closer to that case, Mr McIntyre said, and he submitted that a fine of $400-$500 would be appropriate.

Mr Cameron declined the opportunity to make any submission.

REASONS FOR PENALTY:

The Penalty Guide does not provide a starting point for penalty for misconduct. Obviously, the circumstances of a misconduct charge can vary greatly in terms of nature and seriousness.

In fixing a starting point for penalty in this case, we have been principally guided by the case of RIU v Doody (January 2021) in which the Respondent was requested to appear before the Stewards to discuss his whip use in a race. He did so, but after a brief discussion, he told the Stewards to do whatever was required, before exiting the hearing. The Respondent was fined the sum of $400 and we have taken that as the starting point in this case. The starting point takes into account that the breach was admitted and that the Respondent had an impeccable record over many years in the industry, as in this case.

In the Doody case, two other misconduct charges were referred to the Committee involving the Respondent, in each case, failing to attend a hearing. A fine of $400 was imposed in each of those two cases.

From that starting point, the Committee has applied an uplift in this case because of the language that the Respondent directed at Stewards prior to walking out of the hearing. While that language was not the worst, it was still quite unacceptable for Stewards to be spoken to in that manner by the Respondent. The Committee has fixed the uplift at $100.

CONCLUSION – PENALTY:

The Respondent, Ian Cameron, is fined $500.

 
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personally think Ian Cameron was a wee bit too mild with his comments!

FFS drivers are being fined or suspended for wanting to win a race!!!!

The last two whip rules are just blatantly stupid and the drivers should be telling the incompetent Stipes to stick their whip rule up their arse!!!!
There is absolutely no INTEGRITY coming from the officialdom at all and they will drive people away from the industry!
Who is this Paul Williams????

Not going  to mention any names or give their initials, but there are several that are just not up to using any common sense and are on the gravy train.

The trainers and drivers are out in all weathers and working massive hours for very little financial return!

These fat cats that are fining the drivers and affecting their livelihood with pathetic decisions do very little and will be rewarded financially for mediocrity!!

Racing Integrity has gone out the back door with this current lot!!!!

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1 hour ago, Brodie said:

FFS drivers are being fined or suspended for wanting to win a race!!!!

The last two whip rules are just blatantly stupid and the drivers should be telling the incompetent Stipes to stick their whip rule up their arse!!!!
There is absolutely no INTEGRITY coming from the officialdom at all and they will drive people away from the industry!

Made me laugh Brodster. you are proven on the money with this one !! lol.. as many drivers in Queensland left the industry in the 90's when stewards 'pursued' whip rules with great vigour. many left the industry including self . They all wanted to win races. 

And a couple of drivers did Indeed tell the stewards to stick the whip rules up their arse as you suggested , lol. And then they both promptly got 3 month suspended !! hahaha

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1 hour ago, Brodie said:


personally think Ian Cameron was a wee bit too mild with his comments!

FFS drivers are being fined or suspended for wanting to win a race!!!!

The last two whip rules are just blatantly stupid and the drivers should be telling the incompetent Stipes to stick their whip rule up their arse!!!!
There is absolutely no INTEGRITY coming from the officialdom at all and they will drive people away from the industry!
Who is this Paul Williams????

Not going  to mention any names or give their initials, but there are several that are just not up to using any common sense and are on the gravy train.

The trainers and drivers are out in all weathers and working massive hours for very little financial return!

These fat cats that are fining the drivers and affecting their livelihood with pathetic decisions do very little and will be rewarded financially for mediocrity!!

Racing Integrity has gone out the back door with this current lot!!!!

You watch them fine drivers like ian cameron doing his best without punishing his horse,and then you watch races like the non win first race just run at addington.

In that race they ran a sprint race in a slow lead time,then got slower with a half in a tick under 66 seconds. The likes of  ricky may(on the 2nd favorite),mathew williamson and devon van all seemingly had no idea of how slow they were going and gave their horses no chance whatsoever to place,by just sitting at the back under strong holds.. What looks worse to the public?

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It really is sickening that these socalled Stiles are allowed to fine and suspend drivers for doing nothing that a punter wouldnt want them to do!

As The Galah just stated, there were many drivers that gave their horses absolutely no chance of running a place by just sitting there and not trying!!!!!!!an owner of those horses that werent given a chance by their drivers!!!

If I was an owner of one of those horses that werent put into the race, I would be far more pissed off than if my driver tapped my horse using an elbow movement!

The Dickheads that approved the last 2 whip rules should hang their heads in shame and admit that they were Dickheads for changing a rule that actually worked!!!

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54 minutes ago, Brodie said:

socalled Stiles

Could you be on the Money Brodster ?

"There was a crooked man,"

By Mother Goose (Robbies Great Grand Mother?)
 
There was a crooked man, and he walked a crooked mile,
He found a crooked sixpence against a crooked stile;
He bought a crooked cat which caught a crooked mouse,
And they all lived together in a little crooked house.

Crooks.jpg

Edited by Rangatira
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Just watched the replay of the said race on April 21st that the Stipes didnt like the way Ian Cameron used the whip!

Absolutely pathetic If this is what harness racing has become!

Seriously it is well overdue that the drivers all  got together to go up against these bullies and they need to get HRNZ to have the stupid rule corrected!!!

How on earth can anyone have any confidence in harness racing when the ones controlling and making the rules are total DICKHEADS?

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