No penalties assessed in peculiar Assiniboia race

An investigation into a highly unusual ride by a jockey at Assiniboia Downs in Winnipeg, Canada, last week has concluded that the jockey “overcompensated” for the horse’s tendency to drift out, according to racing officials at the track and with the province’s regulatory commission.

Darren Dunn, the track’s chief executive officer, had requested that the Liquor, Gaming, and Cannabis Authority of Manitoba conduct the probe due to the bizarre nature of the ride. The authority, which employs the stewards at Assiniboia, ruled this week that they would not issue any penalties in the case, while also saying that the race did not have any suspicious betting patterns suggesting foul play.

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Dunn said on Thursday that he had spoken with the rider of the race in question, who told him that he was “exercising caution” when allowing the horse, King Witt, a 3-year-old maiden, to slow to a trot entering the stretch of the fifth race on July 20 at Assiniboia. The horse, who is winless in 10 starts, frequently drifted out sharply when entering the stretch during workouts, the rider, Sheldon Chickeness, told Dunn.

“He had to be cautious because the horse had a tendency to do that in the morning,” Dunn said.

Dunn had earlier said that Chickeness; the horse’s trainer, Jerry Gourneau; and the horse’s owner-breeder, Henry Witt Jr., were “all upstanding individuals.”

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However, Dunn said that he “strongly disagreed” with the regulatory authority’s decision not to issue a penalty in the case. King Witt was up by more than five lengths in the backstretch and seemed to be galloping easily when Chickeness let the horse drift out and slow to a trot. King Witt was then put into an all-out drive after letting five horses pass to the inside. He finished second by a head.

“Taking nothing away from our regulator, I’m just not satisfied with their decision,” Dunn said. “I think that ride warranted a fine and a suspension. I don’t know how long or what amount, but certainly a fine and a suspension.”