hobbes
24-05-2002, 17:07
Friday, May 24, 2002 RACING Outdated list leads to $25,000 penalty for Size
ALAN AITKEN
Leading trainer John Size was fined $25,000 yesterday after stable lists of horses exercising in the Sha Tin swimming pool were found by the stewards to be "manifestly inaccurate". Benno Yung Tin-pang, Size's assistant trainer, was fined $10,000 after pleading guilty to having breached Rule 12(32) in that his negligence had led to a breach of the rules by Size.
Yesterday's hearing brought to an end the post-bleed training episode this week during which four other trainers were each fined $30,000 for using off-limits facilities with horses returning from bleeding attacks. However, the Size affair was different as the trainer was not charged with having breached Stewards Instruction 8. Size pleaded guilty to a charge under Rule 50(2), dealing with his responsibility for all matters pertaining to the running of his stable and the actions of his stable staff.
"I don't want to say much about it, but it was just a case of complacency," Size said. "Nobody tried to mislead anyone."
Size and Yung were questioned regarding the training of Decouvert, Splendid Bo Bo, My Favourite and Toymark, which had been officially documented using the Sha Tin swimming pool within two months of bleeding. However, Size produced evidence that each of them had been restricted, as permitted, to using the walking machine subsequent to bleeding in races and that three of them had then been sent to Beas River for spelling. Toymark, which bled on May 11, has been retired this week.
The stewards' report yesterday read: "Mr Yung acknowledged he has been providing the swimming pool supervisor with a list of horses from the Size stable each day which were allegedly to swim. This list is copied for weeks at a time without amendment and has on many occasions been inaccurate. This has led to the Club providing the press and users of the Club's Web site with inaccurate information. Mr Size said he was not aware of the procedure being followed by Mr Yung."
John Ridley, the Club's manager of racing operations, told the stewards that the Club relies upon the information being supplied by stables to be accurate. "John Size produced proof that the pool worksheets were wrong, as his assistant had not updated them, but simply copied them," said Winfried Engelbrecht-Bresges, the Club's director of racing. He added that the Club was taking steps to avoid a repeat.
"We will have a review of our monitoring process in respect of information coming from the trainers. The Jockey Club has 40 different computer systems operating on different software. For the past six months we have been attempting to upgrade so that they are completely integrated, but it is a complex job. When that is completed, if a horse which is listed as spelling at Beas River comes up in the swimming lists, for instance, that would be highlighted by the system."
Engelbrecht-Bresges added that he hoped any trackwork logging problems would be wiped out by the high-tech STRIDE technology which will be introduced next season to trace gallops and other track exercise.
Following the pattern set in the matters regarding Ricky Yiu Poon-fie, John Moore and Eddie Lo, trainer Peter Ho was yesterday fined $30,000 after pleading guilty to breaching post-bleeding rules with Lucky Six. Lucky Six had bled on February 24 and was ineligible to use the small all-weather training track when he did so on April 18, 19, 20 and 23. The horse has been stood down from racing until July 23, and, until June 23, will be restricted to using the horse walkers, lunging ring and trotting rings.
Of the trainers turned up in the investigation this week, only Andy Leung Ting-wah went scot-free after doubt existed on whether Just Win had worked when he appeared in the track times on November 30 last year, just five days after his bleeding attack took place.
i do not pay any attention to swimming reports with my betting but am horrified that the JC could allow such misinformation to be released to the public. just great that the JC fines size but i view the JC incompetence in allowing this to happen as bordering on criminal negligence. truly unbelieveable.
are the weights of the horses they provide anymore reliable ?? what about other data ??
ALAN AITKEN
Leading trainer John Size was fined $25,000 yesterday after stable lists of horses exercising in the Sha Tin swimming pool were found by the stewards to be "manifestly inaccurate". Benno Yung Tin-pang, Size's assistant trainer, was fined $10,000 after pleading guilty to having breached Rule 12(32) in that his negligence had led to a breach of the rules by Size.
Yesterday's hearing brought to an end the post-bleed training episode this week during which four other trainers were each fined $30,000 for using off-limits facilities with horses returning from bleeding attacks. However, the Size affair was different as the trainer was not charged with having breached Stewards Instruction 8. Size pleaded guilty to a charge under Rule 50(2), dealing with his responsibility for all matters pertaining to the running of his stable and the actions of his stable staff.
"I don't want to say much about it, but it was just a case of complacency," Size said. "Nobody tried to mislead anyone."
Size and Yung were questioned regarding the training of Decouvert, Splendid Bo Bo, My Favourite and Toymark, which had been officially documented using the Sha Tin swimming pool within two months of bleeding. However, Size produced evidence that each of them had been restricted, as permitted, to using the walking machine subsequent to bleeding in races and that three of them had then been sent to Beas River for spelling. Toymark, which bled on May 11, has been retired this week.
The stewards' report yesterday read: "Mr Yung acknowledged he has been providing the swimming pool supervisor with a list of horses from the Size stable each day which were allegedly to swim. This list is copied for weeks at a time without amendment and has on many occasions been inaccurate. This has led to the Club providing the press and users of the Club's Web site with inaccurate information. Mr Size said he was not aware of the procedure being followed by Mr Yung."
John Ridley, the Club's manager of racing operations, told the stewards that the Club relies upon the information being supplied by stables to be accurate. "John Size produced proof that the pool worksheets were wrong, as his assistant had not updated them, but simply copied them," said Winfried Engelbrecht-Bresges, the Club's director of racing. He added that the Club was taking steps to avoid a repeat.
"We will have a review of our monitoring process in respect of information coming from the trainers. The Jockey Club has 40 different computer systems operating on different software. For the past six months we have been attempting to upgrade so that they are completely integrated, but it is a complex job. When that is completed, if a horse which is listed as spelling at Beas River comes up in the swimming lists, for instance, that would be highlighted by the system."
Engelbrecht-Bresges added that he hoped any trackwork logging problems would be wiped out by the high-tech STRIDE technology which will be introduced next season to trace gallops and other track exercise.
Following the pattern set in the matters regarding Ricky Yiu Poon-fie, John Moore and Eddie Lo, trainer Peter Ho was yesterday fined $30,000 after pleading guilty to breaching post-bleeding rules with Lucky Six. Lucky Six had bled on February 24 and was ineligible to use the small all-weather training track when he did so on April 18, 19, 20 and 23. The horse has been stood down from racing until July 23, and, until June 23, will be restricted to using the horse walkers, lunging ring and trotting rings.
Of the trainers turned up in the investigation this week, only Andy Leung Ting-wah went scot-free after doubt existed on whether Just Win had worked when he appeared in the track times on November 30 last year, just five days after his bleeding attack took place.
i do not pay any attention to swimming reports with my betting but am horrified that the JC could allow such misinformation to be released to the public. just great that the JC fines size but i view the JC incompetence in allowing this to happen as bordering on criminal negligence. truly unbelieveable.
are the weights of the horses they provide anymore reliable ?? what about other data ??