Former Cape jockey Brandon Morgenrood has been disqualified for life over charges relating to a conspiracy to harm a rival jockey during a race.
The 42-year-old Morgenrood, who left SA in May 2016 in search of a fresh start and better opportunities for his young family, took up a workriding position in New Zealand.
In August 2017 he was granted a jockeys licence.
Morgenrood was issued the penalty this week, after pleading guilty to three charges in relation to his planning to attempt to cause a fall to his ex-partner, fellow jockey Tina Comignaghi, during a race.
The specific charges alleged that Morgenrood:
On 21 February 2020 threatened to cause Class A Jockey Miss Tina Comignaghi to fall in Race 4 at the Canterbury Jockey Club meeting at Riccarton on 21 February 2020 in breach of Rule 801(1)(s)(i) of the New Zealand Rules of Thoroughbred Racing.
Between 11 and 18 February 2020 did an act that caused undue suffering to the horse VIVACE LADY by pulling on its mouth unnecessarily while riding the said horse in track work which resulted in the said horse suffering cuts and abrasions to the inside of its mouth in breach of Rule 801(1)(p) of the New Zealand Rules of Thoroughbred Racing.
On 18 February 2020 counselled Jockey Brett Murray to commit a Serious Racing Offence by encouraging the said Jockey to ride in a manner that would assist him to cause Jockey Tina Comignaghi to fall in Race 4 at the Canterbury Jockey Club meeting on 21 February 2020 being an offence under Rule 801(1)(w) of the New Zealand Rules of Thoroughbred Racing.
Stewards heard that after the relationship ended in December 2019, Morgenrood had regularly left and sent inappropriate messages to his ex-partner.
The three charges related to a race on February 21 where Comignaghi was riding a Vivace Lady in a race at Canterbury.
It was discovered that Morgenrood, who had been riding Vivace Lady in trackwork, had been pulling unnecessarily on the horse’s mouth for several days, with his motive being to ensure the horse would react in a particular way with the knowledge Comignaghi had been engaged to ride the mare.
Stewards also heard that Morgenrood approached fellow jockey Brett Murray on February 18, asking him to push up on his mount in the race on February 21 to prevent Comignaghi from crossing, leaving her exposed to Morgenrood who would then be able to cause interference.
In penalty submissions, Morgenrood’s counsel said his client did not willingly accept that his actions amounted to being guilty of the offences, but he does accept his guilt.
He said Morgenrood was remorseful and ashamed that it was thought he would deliberately set about hurting a fellow jockey.
In delivering the life ban, stewards said such a calculated, premeditated and intentional offending had no place in racing.
Morgenrood had previously been issued a life ban for race fixing in South Africa where he was licensed from 1992-93 to 2015-16, before that was reduced to a five-year ban on appeal.
It has been 29 years since Morgenrood walked through the doors of the SA Jockey Academy at Summerveld with the likes of Barend Vorster, Deryl Daniels, Piet Botha and Donovan Yeo to embark on a rollercoaster adventure of a career that saw him compete against the best in South Africa, Mauritius and New Zealand.
