Piere Strydom has not yet been charged by the NHA for his error of judgement at Turffontein on Thursday which cost his mount Dublin Rebel certain victory.

There will be an enquiry into the matter this week.

Strydom believed he had the race won as he thought he had his two main dangers beaten. However, he failed to notice Top Shot sneaking through on the inside rail until it was too late and the photo-finish proved the latter had won the race by the narrowest of margins.

Strydom later apologised profusely and with genuine remorse in a statement addressed to the connections, punters and the entire racing community and called it the worst mistake of his riding career.

He went on to talk about his feeling for horses and his consequent career-long practice of never punishing his mounts unnecessarily. On this occasion he had eased his mount accordingly in the belief he had the race won.

Recently retired Kevin Shea lost a race under similar circumstances at the now defunct Newmarket racecourse in Alberton on 8 October, 2002, when dropping his hands approximately five strides before the line on Ice Lily, allowing Halloy to win the race by a short-head. Shea was handed a three month suspension. However, Shea appealed the harshness of the punishment and the appeal board wholly suspended the penalty for a period of twelve months on condition he was not found guilty of a similar offense in that period (although a fine of R30,000 was added). One of the points working in Shea’s favour in the appeal was that the three month suspension imposed on him had been dramatically more severe than the punishment he had received on a number of previous occasions for contravening the specific rule (Rule 62.2.3, failing to ride the horse out to the end) and was out of proportion to penalties previously imposed on him and other jockeys. It was therefore deemed to be unfair.

However, since then there have been some long suspensions imposed on South African jockeys.

In 2008 Apprentice Luke Coleman received a three month suspension for contravening rule 62.2.1 during his ride on Golden Dice at Kenilworth on February 9 of that year and the appeal board ruled that the penalty should stand. However, a contravention of rule 62.2.1 (“a rider of a horse shall take all reasonable and permissible measures throughout a race to ensure that his horse is given a full opportunity to win or obtain the best possible placing”) is generally regarded as a more serious offense than a contravention of rule 62.2.3.

Andrew Fortune, who like Strydom is also known for his reluctance to punish horses unnecessarily, was suspended for a month in 2010 after it was ruled that he had lost third place on 9-2 chance African Love in a maiden at Turffontein on September 4 of that year by dropping his hands three strides before the line. They also fined him R30,000. The appeal board ruled that the ban should stand, but suspended R10,000 of the fine for a period of twelve months.

S’Manga Khumalo received a 60 day suspension after being charged with contravening rule 62.2.1 for his ride on Supertube at the Vaal on November 5, 2013. Khumalo’s appeal failed. However, an application was then made to the High Court and before the court case could be adjourned the NHA received an affidavit which attempted to recant a testimony which had played a crucial role in the stipendiary stewards original decision to impose the 60 day suspension. In the end the NHA decided to change the penalty to no more than a R75,000 fine. The NHA emphasised that this matter was dealt with on its own peculiar facts and was not precedent setting.

By David Thiselton

Picture: Piere Strydom (Nkosi Hlophe)