Bobsbest reports…
BANK holiday Monday will see the last fixture of the local racing season, but following the most recent, Ladies Day, there was some back office work to be done.
As previously reported, jockeys questioned the judge’s decision after the Westwood Bloodstock Sprint had produced a desperately close finish. St Ouen was judged to have beaten Gemcutter by a nose, the minimum distance.
After interviewing jockeys and the judge, the race day stewards took the rare step of referring the matter to Channel Islands Horseracing Authority (CIHA).
The CIHA have released a statement confirming the outcome of the race and upholding the judge’s decision. The statement points out that, under the rules of racing, the review, “must be based on the electronic image from the camera as the horses cross the line”.
However, there is no photo finish camera at Les Landes (under the accepted definition) and the video camera used to determine finishes is not sufficiently accurate to be absolutely definitive.
The CIHA points out that the recorded image shows the position immediately before the line and immediately after, but not precisely on the line. The still images from the video camera show St Ouen marginally ahead just before the line and, with no evidence to the contrary the CIHA determined the judge’s decision must stand.
Such desperately close finishes are rare and there have been occasions when, lacking absolute certainty, the judge has declared a dead heat. It is now a matter for the Race Club to consider whether the cost of installing a more accurate camera can be justified.
In a separate issue, the CIHA has determined that Fred Tett, Gemcutter’s jockey, hit the horse seven times, once more than permitted under the rules. This was not a matter discussed by the race day stewards, but came out of a Whip Committee review.
The issue of whether a whip review committee was necessary, was discussed at an EGM of the Channel Islands Racing & Hunt Club, the superior body in local regulation, earlier this year when opinions were divided on the matter.
In this case the two person review committee determined, “Allowing for the fact that Mr Tett has not committed any whip breach during the 2025 season…mitigation on penalty was applied and he will be issued with a caution”.
