Hot on the heels of the Gold Rating disqualification, Racing Queensland stewards are again embroiled in another weights mix up.
Gold Rating had to be disqualified after being first past the post at Eagle Farm on January 21 when apprentice Patrick Keane weighed in light and was subsequently suspended for a month.
And Stewards yesterday had to disqualify three horses ridden by apprentice Mitchell Wood when it was discovered he had claimed 3kg instead of 2kg on his mounts over the past week.
Wood’s mount to be disqualified were Florida Fellow who finished 2nd at Eagle Farm on February 11 and Red Story who was unplaced and Poor Judge who finished 4th at Doomben on February 4.
Apprentice jockeys are eligible to claim 3kg until they have ridden twenty winners in the metropolitan area. It was thought that Wood had only ridden nineteen when he was successful on Funny Falve at Doomben on January 18, but in fact it was his 20th winner which automatically reduces his claim to 2kg in the metropolitan area.
The mix up stems back to when Wood rode Dalzar to victory in the Listed $100,000 Sunshine Coast Cup (1400m) at the Sunshine Coast back in January last year and it wasn’t recorded as a metropolitan win.
Even though it was conducted at a provincial meeting, because the race carried Listed status it is classed as a metropolitan winner.
In Racing Queensland’s press release it stated that “by virtue of Australian Rule of Racing 92, apprentice Wood’s winning ride on Dalzar in the Listed Summer Cup is a metropolitan win. Therefore apprentice Wood’s winning ride on Funny Falve at Doomben on January 18, 2012 became his 20th metropolitan winner and consequently should have reduced his claim to 2kg in the metropolitan area.”
Even though Poor Judge and Florida Fellow have been stripped of their placings, Racing Queensland have agreed to pay connections prize money that they would have collected.
