Thoroughbred stewards’ inquiry – Reasons for Chili Is Hot (P Knuckey) and Dom To Shoot (J Turner) falling in Race 8, the Perth Cup, at Ascot Racecourse on Sunday, 1 January 2023.
Racing and Wagering Western Australia (RWWA) stewards today concluded an inquiry into the reasons for Chili Is Hot (Peter Knuckey) and Dom To Shoot (Jordan Turner) falling after travelling 200m in the 2023 Perth Cup.
Evidence was taken from the following jockeys:
- Joseph Azzopardi (Buster Bash)
- Natasha Faithfull (Bad Wolf)
- Peter Knuckey (Chili Is Hot)
- Troy Turner (Cockney Crew)
- Jordan Turner (Dom To Shoot)
- Brad Parnham (Neufbosc)
The inquiry also included the vision of the race shown through the Hawkeye Vision System which provided multiple camera angles of the incident including the use of slow motion and zoom functionality.
Jockey Joseph Azzopardi was charged with careless riding under AR131(a) with the particulars being that near the 2200m mark he allowed Buster Bash to shift outwards when not clear of Chili Is Hot (P Knuckey) causing that mare to contact the heels of Buster Bash and fall with Dom To Shoot (J Turner) falling in consequence and Neufbosc (B Parnham) and numerous other runners also receiving interference.
Mr Azzopardi pleaded guilty to the charge and his licence to ride in races was suspended for a period of six weeks with effect from 1 January 2023.
When assessing penalty, stewards considered:
- The seriousness of the incident
- Resultant consequences with Chili Is Hot sustaining fatal injuries in the fall and jockeys Peter Knuckey and Jordan Turner being dislodged
- The significance of the race being a feature Group 2 event where increased penalties apply
- The incident resulted in the race being declared void
- His prior record under the rule with his most recent careless riding suspensions being incurred in November and July 2022
- The degree of carelessness being in the mid range by allowing his mount to shift outwards in the early stages, where the field was compact and riders still finding their positions
- The high degree of interference
- His guilty plea and remorse for the incident.