Thursday, July 22, 2004
RESULTS OF TODAY'S JOCKEY CLUB DISCIPLINARY PANEL ENQUIRIES AND APPEALS
Panel: Tim Bell (Chairman), John Wallinger and Nicholas Wrigley
John Gosden
The Disciplinary Panel of the Jockey Club, on 22nd July 2004, considered an appeal lodged by John Gosden, the trainer of SILVER GILT, placed second in the Addleshaw Goddard Stakes on 3rd July 2004, against the decision of the Stewards at Sandown Park to find that ROMANY PRINCE had interfered with SILVER GILT but as they were not satisfied that ROMANY PRINCE had improved its placing they ordered the placings to remain unaltered.
The Panel heard evidence from Gosden, Frankie Dettori, the rider of SILVER GILT, and Dane O'Neill, the rider of ROMANY PRINCE. It also viewed video recordings of the race.
Having considered the evidence, the Panel found that ROMANY PRINCE had interfered with SILVER GILT at about the two furlong marker causing SILVER GILT to switch and thereby losing momentum and balance. Taking account of the fact that the winning distance was a short head the Panel was satisfied that ROMANY PRINCE had improved its placing in relation to SILVER GILT.
It therefore upheld the appeal and placed SILVER GILT first and ROMANY PRINCE second.
Allan Mackay
The Disciplinary Panel of the Jockey Club, on 22nd July 2004, held an enquiry to consider whether or not Allan Mackay, in the light of the undertaking on page 2 of his application for his Flat Race Jockey's Licence for 2004, had committed a breach of Rule 220 (vii) (a) of the Rules of Racing, by failing to attend one of this year's Flat Jockey's Seminars.
Having considered the evidence, including a statement from Mackay, the Panel accepted an admission from him that he was in breach of Rule 220 (vii) (a) and suspended him from riding for 8 days from Friday 30th July 2004 to Friday 6th August 2004.
Phil Taylor
The Disciplinary Panel of the Jockey Club, on 22nd July 2004, held an enquiry to consider whether or not it should exercise its powers under Rule 2 (v) of the Rules of Racing and exclude Phil Taylor, a bookmaker, from any premises owned, licensed or controlled by the Stewards of the Jockey Club, in respect of his possession and use of a RaceTech Identity Card at Stratford on 30th December 2003, and his possession and use of a jockey's JAGB badge at Bath on 27th April 2004.
Having considered the evidence, including a statement from Mr Taylor, the Panel accepted his admission that:
(i) in order to use the RaceTech Identity Card, he had deliberately forged the document by adding his own photograph and that he had been in possession and using the RaceTech Identity Card to gain access to racecourses for two or three years;
(ii) when approached by an Investigating Officer of the Jockey Club at Stratford on 30th December 2003, and challenged as to his possession of the RaceTech Identity Card, he had incorrectly identified himself as the original identity card holder;
(iii) he did not have jockey Shashi Righton's permission to use his JAGB badge at Bath on 27th April 2004, when challenged by the Investigating Officer of the Jockey Club on the day.
It ordered Mr Taylor to be excluded from all premises owned, licensed or controlled by the Stewards of the Jockey Club with immediate effect. It further informed him that no application to have the Exclusion Order lifted would be considered before 1st July 2006.
BHB PUBLISHES 2005 FIXTURE LIST
The British Horseracing Board today publishes the Fixture List for 2005. Next year's List is comparable to 2004's, which underwent major structural changes. It sees a small, further increase in the total number of programmed fixtures in order to build on the racegoer and punter-friendly improvements made for 2004.
The key features of the 2005 Fixture List are:
* 1,349 fixtures, the increase of 8 on 2004 being additional Regional Racing fixtures. As was the case in 2004, 1,270 fixtures are funded by the Horserace Betting Levy Board (HBLB). BHB is funding 78 Regional fixtures (2004: 70). The other fixture, as in 2004, is Hamilton Park's Fair Friday fixture, which will be run as a self-funded fixture outside HBLB and Bookmaker Afternoon Greyhound Service (BAGS) criteria;
* 487 individual betting sessions (mornings, afternoons or evenings when fixtures are programmed), up from 471 in 2004, allowing British Racing to maximise its income and compete with other products available in Licensed Betting Offices;
* No breaks in the HBLB Fixture List criteria;
* 220 evening fixtures on 116 different evenings, again commencing on 15th April (2004: 223 and 117 respectively);
* 129 meetings on 46 Sundays (2004: 132 and 47 respectively), including 44 consecutively between 6th February and 4th December inclusive; the one fewer Sunday raceday in 2005 reflects that Christmas Day falls on a Sunday.
For the first time since 1989, the Flat Turf season will begin at Kempton Park on Easter Saturday, which falls early in 2005, on 26th March. Doncaster's Lincoln Meeting commences on the following Thursday.
National Hunt meetings again represent 40% of the total Fixture List, with the figure of 535 remaining comfortably above the 525 outlined by the National Hunt Review of 1998 as a minimum to sustain and encourage Jump racing.
There has been a relocation of a number of fixtures in September and October to reflect the demands of the Jump and Flat horse population at that time of the year, with an increase in Flat fixtures and a reduction in Jump fixtures.
All Sundays in 2005 except Christmas Day were potential fixture slots. Four Sundays in January have been left blank and, coupled with a period between mid-February and Easter (late March) with 2 fixtures rather than 3 on each Sunday, there is room for replacement Jump fixtures in the event of a significant number of abandonments.
Following the successful initial tranche of Regional Racing fixtures in the first months of 2004, their number has been increased by 8 in 2005. In recognition of the relatively low field sizes experienced towards the end of April, this period will see 5 Regional fixtures in 2005 as opposed to 10 in 2004. There will also be a maximum of one Regional fixture per betting session throughout the year.
Matinee (late morning) fixtures were introduced in 2004, with one Regional fixture to be staged on nine Saturdays in September and October. These have been increased to 15 in 2005, with the additional fixtures situated on Saturdays in March (3) and November (3). These fixtures provide racing opportunities at busy periods of the year while also allowing British Racing to compete for market share in Licensed Betting Offices.
BHB has met the requests of terrestrial broadcasters where possible in the 2005 Fixture List. There will be 5 Saturday afternoons on which 5 (rather than the usual 4) fixtures will be staged, allowing the BBC and Channel 4 to screen a quality product throughout the year. Also, at Channel 4's request and with the agreement of all parties, York's Dante Meeting in May has moved to Wednesday/Thursday/Friday from Tuesday/Wednesday /Thursday.
The re-development of Ascot racecourse throughout 2005 has led to Royal Ascot being switched to York, with the majority of Ascot's remaining fixtures switched to Arena Leisure courses. Discussions are continuing with regard to the relocation of Victor Chandler Chase Day in January, the King George VI & Queen Elizabeth Diamond Stakes Meeting in July and the Festival of British Racing in September.
BHB Racing Director Ruth Quinn said: "The 2005 Fixture List seeks to make best use of Racing's greatest asset, our horse population, while balancing the needs of customers and the industry.
"It is largely a consolidation of the 2004 Fixture List, which is bringing in significantly more income to Racing through a more efficient siting of fixtures and by providing extra racing and betting opportunities."
For old articles (from 1st March 2000) go to the Newslink
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