Auckland TR 11 November 2021 – R3 and R5 – Ace Lawson-Carroll

Summary of Facts:

Following the running of Races 3 & 5, Class B (Apprentice) Rider Ace Lawson-Carroll admitted two charges in regard to careless riding.

Charge 1   Information A16310 (Race 3) Alleged that “he allowed his mount SMOLDERING YACHT to shift in, inside the final 100m crowding SYMPHONY OF LOVE, ELYSIAN FIELDS and SILK ‘N’ DALE.”

Charge 2   Information A16313 (Race 5) Alleged that “He permitted  KEYSTONE to shift in approaching the 100m crowding THATS ALL FINE, ROCHMIE RAY, THE LETTER and CHAMPAGNE GOLD which were hampered to varying degrees.”

Mr Ace Lawson-Carroll admitted both breaches and confirmed he was familiar with the Careless Riding Rule.

Mr S Clotworthy assisted Mr Lawson-Carroll during the hearing.

Information A16310

Mr Williamson demonstrated the first breach and identified Mr Lawson-Carroll and his mount approaching the 100m. He said that Mr Lawson-Carroll was riding his mount forward, with the stick in his left hand at which point he started to crowd runners to his inside. He said that Mr Lawson-Carroll was approximately 1 length clear when the interference happened and he had an obligation to stop riding and straighten his mount.  He went on to say that Mr Lawson-Carroll’s mount was passing the horses to his inner quickly and he may not have been aware that he hadn’t cleared the runners to his inside and this could be viewed as a mitigating factor. Mr Williamson showed the head-on film and added that another mitigating factor was that the straight starts bending approaching the finish line and as a result horses have a tendency to shift in.

Mr Clothworthy said that Mr Williamson had summed up the incident well. He said that they had been practising Mr Lawson-Carroll carrying the stick in his left hand and may not have been able to straighten his mount as it shifted inwards and it was a technical error. He also added that this was the first time ever that Mr Lawson-Carroll had ridden on a firm track and that things were happening a lot quicker than on the heavy tracks he had been riding on.

Mr Lawson-Carroll said that he passed the horse to his inside quite quickly and thought he may have cleared it.

Information A16313

Mr Williamson demonstrated the second breach and showed Mr Lawson-Carroll’s mount jumping from barrier 8 at the 1100m. He said that he rode his mount forward in an attempt to get closer to the rail, he said that in doing so he crowded runners to his inside, with four horses being affected to varying degrees. Mr Williamson said there was a chain reaction due to the interference but that none of the horses lost a lot of ground. He added Mr Lawson-Carroll was only a length clear at the time of the interference not his own length + 1 other length clear and simply got it wrong.

Mr Lawson-Carroll said that the corner comes up quite quickly and you get sucked into it.

Mr Clotworthy said that given the number of rides Mr Lawson-Carroll had accepted he may have been under some pressure to feel he needed to win.

Penalty Submissions:

On the first charge Ms Selvakumaran advised the Committee that this was Mr Lawson- Carroll’s first breach of the Rule. The Stipendiary Stewards saw this breach to be in the low to mid range and in mitigation the Committee might like to consider that this was Mr Lawson-Carroll’s first time on a firm track and his limited experience.

On the second charge Ms Selvakumaran advised the Committee that prior to today there had been no breach of the Careless Riding Rules by Mr Lawson-Carroll. She submitted that the breach sat in the mid to high range and that a small fine may also be considered.

Reasons for Penalty:

The Committee viewed the films for both charges independently and were comfortable that they both fell within the ranges described by the Stipendiary Stewards. In assessing penalties we had regard for Mr Lawson- Carroll’s limited experience, previous good record, guilty plea and the impacts of the Covid pandemic in that Mr Lawson-Carroll has not been able to earn any race riding income for almost 3 months.

Generally, a careless riding charge would attract a suspension unless it was a major race where a fine may also be included. Arriving at a meaningful penalty given the impact of Covid and uncertainty of when restrictions might lift and further riding opportunities may be available determines that in this case the most appropriate penalty would be a combination of a suspension and a small monetary fine for both charges.

On the first charge based on a starting point of a 6 day suspension the Committee determined that a 4 day suspension would be appropriate. In addition to this a $200 fine was also imposed.

On the second charge based on a starting point of an 8 day suspension the Committee determined that a 7 day suspension was an appropriate penalty. In addition to this a $200 fine was also imposed.

In total Mr Lawson-Carroll was suspended for 11 national riding days and also received a monetary fine of $400.

Mr Lawson-Carroll’s suspension was to start immediately and the 11 days were calculated from the conclusion of racing on the 14th of November to the conclusion of racing on the 2nd of December.

Not included in the calculation were the following race dates where the declaration of Riders had closed.

Awapuni 12th November

Tauranga 13th November

Waverley 14th November