Victorian stewards will not contest the Racing Appeals and Disciplinary Board’s decision to overturn a suspension handed out to apprentice Talia Rodder.
The RAD Board was critical of the stewards’ handling of the inquiry into Rodder’s ride on Serene Tanie in a race won by the mare’s Robbie Laing-trained stablemate Maquina.
Stewards outed Rodder for six weeks for not giving Serene Tanie every chance to win or obtain the best possible position in the race.
Serene Tanie led at a speed they deemed too fast and faded to finish second last while Maquina came from near the tail of the seven-horse field to win.
The Victorian Jockeys Association supported Rodder and said it was a test case for all jockeys as she made an error of judgment as an apprentice and there was no intentional wrongdoing which rule AR 135b, under which she was charged, implies.
RAD Board chairman Judge Russell Lewis questioned the stewards’ handling of the inquiry and queried how Rodder could be charged and not apprentice Jake Noonan who dug up inside Rodder on Saint Angers.
The Racing Victoria Integrity Services department studied the transcripts of the case with a view to a possible appeal to the Victorian Civil and Administrative Tribunal but advised on Wednesday they would not proceed.
