RV disqualifies horses ridden by star apprentice Wiremu Pinn

Horses ridden by apprentice Wiremu Pinn have been disqualified due to a miscommunication between Racing Victoria (RV) and New Zealand authorities. The incorrect claim allocation for Pinn led to an inquiry by RV stewards, resulting in the disqualification of the horses he rode. Initially, Pinn was claiming 3kg, but after an audit of his wins in New Zealand, it was reduced to 2kg. Stewards received conflicting information regarding the calculation of his claim, prompting an investigation.

Last Tuesday, connections of the 29 horses ridden by Pinn were issued a show-cause notice as RV intensified its inquiry. Out of these 29 starters, Pinn achieved five wins, with 25 of them securing prizemoney for the connections. In light of the situation, the stewards made the decision to disqualify the 29 horses ridden by Pinn in Victorian races between May 27, 2023, and June 12, 2023, stating that other horses in those races were disadvantaged due to the incorrect claim.

According to Racing Victoria, under AR 274, when a starter is disqualified from a race, the placings are amended, and the prizemoney is awarded as if the disqualified horse had not participated. Consequently, RV will pay the owners, trainers, and jockeys of the horses that finished behind the disqualified horse the balance of any prizemoney owed based on the amended placings in the next payment cycle.

After considering the findings of the stewards’ inquiry and the basis of their decision, the RV Board decided not to demand the repayment of any prizemoney from the owners, trainer, or jockey Pinn for the 29 disqualified horses. This decision took into account the circumstances surrounding the miscalculation of Pinn’s claim, which was not attributed to him or the owners and trainers who acted in good faith when booking Pinn for the races in question. The RV Board acknowledged that the error was unintentional and expressed apologies on behalf of RV to all parties affected by this unique situation.

RV disclosed in its statement how the error in Pinn’s claim came about. When Pinn requested to transfer his services from New Zealand to Victoria, RV licensing officials asked their counterparts at New Zealand Thoroughbred Racing (NZTR) for a list of eligible wins to calculate Pinn’s Australian claim. However, the imprecise wording of the request led to a misunderstanding by NZTR officials, who provided what they believed to be the requested list of wins in good faith. RV licensing officials accepted this list as a complete representation of the desired results, leading to the allocation of a 3kg claim for Pinn.

Racing Victoria assured that a review of the relevant systems and processes will be conducted to prevent similar errors in the future.