Stewards Report Hayden Barnes HEAVENS HINT

13 March 2017
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Stewards Report: Hayden Barnes– Heavens Hint

Date: 13 March 2017

Panel: D Aurisch, M Knibbs & J Hackett

Queensland Racing Integrity Commission (QRIC) Stewards today inquired into the driving tactics adopted by Hayden Barnes on HEAVENS HINT in race 7 at Redcliffe on 12 January 2017.

This retrospective inquiry was opened following a direction from the Acting Director-Stewarding, Licensing and Registrations of the QRIC.

Stewards today questioned Mr Barnes regarding his handling of HEAVENS HINT and in particular the reason for him failing to shift out to the running line and trail GOTHAM CITY SIN, the eventual winner, when the opportunity existed for some distance in the home straight with a lap remaining. The Stewards also questioned Mr Barnes regarding his apparent lack of vigour upon obtaining clear running in the home straight.

Mr Barnes explained that HEAVENS HINT often has a tendency to pace roughly in its races and he has to drive the mare conservatively to prevent it from breaking gait. He added that in his opinion the better option was to remain on the peg line in the home straight with a lap remaining rather than shift out to trail GOTHAM CITY SIN. He was of this opinion because HEAVENS HINT has shown a tendency to hang in and he felt shifting out at that stage may have resulted in the mare becoming unbalanced and losing ground.  He further added that when he obtained the sprint lane soon after straightening, he tested HEAVENS HINT for a short distance and when the mare did not quicken he decided not to apply any further pressure as he was of the opinion that it was better for HEAVENS HINT to finish the race without breaking gait.

Trainer Stewart Dickson confirmed that HEAVENS HINT is a difficult horse to drive, and added that the mare has had to trial on a number of occasions previously for galloping in its races.

After considering this explanation, Mr Barnes was issued with a charge pursuant to Australian Harness Racing Rule 149 (2) which states:

A person shall not drive in a manner which in the opinion of the Stewards is unacceptable.

The specifics of the charge being that as the driver of HEAVENS HINT in race 7 at Redcliffe on 12 January 2017, he failed to drive HEAVENS HINT with sufficient vigour when he had a clear unimpeded run after obtaining the sprint lane in the home straight.  This failure in the opinion of the stewards constituted unacceptable driving.

Mr Barnes pleaded not guilty and made brief submissions in defence of the charge. Mr Dickson also made submissions on behalf of Mr Barnes.

Whilst accepting the explanation given by Mr Barnes for not shifting out to trail GOTHAM CITY SIN in the home straight with a lap remaining, the Stewards were unable to identify any evidence of the mare changing gait significantly or racing in a manner that would prevent him from testing HEAVENS HINT in the home straight. Furthermore, the Stewards were not satisfied that Mr Barnes’ defence for not applying sufficient vigour in the home straight, being that the horse may have broken gait, was in all the circumstances reasonable. Mr Barnes was therefore formally found guilty of the charge.

When considering an appropriate penalty, the Stewards took into account the personal circumstances of Mr Barnes, penalty precedents and his unblemished record for breaches of this kind. Stewards recognised that the breach occurred on a favoured runner and that any penalty must serve as a deterrent to Mr Barnes and fellow participants to illustrate the seriousness of these matters and the negative impact they have on the industry.

Mr Barnes‘s licence to drive in races was suspended for a period of six weeks to commence at midnight 17 March 2017 and expire midnight 28 April 2017.

Stewards advised Mr Barnes of his right to an internal review.

 

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