S’manga Khumalo. Victim of over hasty action by Stipes or simply an errant ride?
Current SA log leading jockey S’manga ‘Bling’ Khumalo has reached the crossroads in his bid to become our national champion jockey. He told the Sunday Times last week that the NHA had acted in a hasty manner and had ‘made a scene’ out of an incident when he rode the horse Supertube at the Vaal last November.
He goes before a National Horseracing Authority Appeal Board on Friday after being found guilty of failing to give the horse every chance.
At an inquiry held at its offices on Monday 2 December 2013, the NHA found Khumalo guilty of a contravention of Rule 62.2.1 in that whilst riding Supertube, in the 10th race run at the Vaal Racecourse on 5 November 2013, he failed to take all reasonable and permissible measures to ensure that his mount was given a full opportunity to win or obtain the best possible placing.
The details of the charge were that after a slight stumble at the start, he failed to take measures to improve his position in the first 900 metres of the race, and in the final 500 metres he failed to ride with his normal vigour and determination.
Since the Jockey was unsure how to plea, the Board entered a plea of not guilty on his behalf, but found him guilty of the charge.
The Inquiry Board imposed a penalty of a suspension from riding in races for a period of sixty days.
Khumalo appealed and today he faces a three man panel. He told the Sunday Times that his trainer and lawyer were confident that the decision would be overturned.
He currently leads Piere Strydom by 22 wins on the log.
