Stewards today interviewed licenced jockey Patrick Moloney regarding his post-race media comments following his win in the Newmarket Handicap on Roch ‘N’ Horse at Flemington on Saturday, 12 March 2022.
Comments attributed to Mr Moloney suggested that the inside six runners had agreed to form an inside group of runners and ride as a team to assist their chances in competing with the speed of the favoured horses drawn towards the outside.
Upon questioning, Mr Moloney advised that he had not directly discussed his riding tactics with any other rider in the Newmarket Handicap, nor was he approached by another rider wishing to discuss their race riding instructions.
He added that there was no agreement between any of the riders who raced on the inside and emphasised that it was his opinion the inside section of the track was the preferred going.
Mr Moloney also reported that it wasn’t until talking with the connections pre-race in the mounting yard that it was agreed to adhere to his plan to race on the inside. This was confirmed with the connections of Roch ‘N’ Horse.
Stewards also interviewed the other five riders who raced on the inside with Roch ‘N’ Horse:
- Damian Lane (Zoutori)
- Fred Kersley (The Astrologist)
- Josh Richards (Finance Tycoon)
- Craig Williams (Swats That)
- Jamie Kah (September Run)
All riders confirmed there was no specific discussions pre-race between them or with Mr Moloney and that there was no agreement regarding riding tactics. Each rider reported that it was their preference to race on the inside other than one rider who didn’t decide until shortly after the start.
Danny O’Brien, trainer of the leader Finance Tycoon, also confirmed the instructions to Josh Richards were to lead and that he was satisfied with the manner in which those instructions were carried out.
Mr Moloney expressed disappointment with his choice of words during the post-race interviews and stipulated that it did not accurately reflect what took place in the lead-up to the running of the Newmarket Handicap.
He added that there were general discussions in the jockeys room surrounding the prediction of how the race might be run, and that this was not unusual for riders to generally discuss in the jockeys room the prevailing track conditions, horses form, predicted race tempo and settling positions.
As a result of these general discussions prior to the Newmarket Handicap, Mr Moloney was aware that the majority of the field would race towards the middle of the track whilst some of the horses drawn to the inside might race on the inside.
Stewards have concluded that there was insufficient evidence to suggest there was any collusion or agreement between the riders of the inside horses with respect to any pre-determined riding tactics.