'The horse should have won': Assiniboia Downs CEO speaks out against findings of probe into controversial race

The race in question happened on July 20 in race five, when jockey Sheldon Chickeness on horse #1 King Witt, who was in first place, appeared to pull the horse up. (Image Source: Assiniboia Downs/YouTube)

The CEO of Assiniboia Downs is speaking out against a regulatory ruling into a race last week that went viral.

The race in question happened on July 20 in race five in Winnipeg. The concern arose when jockey Sheldon Chickeness on horse #1 King Witt, who was in first place, appeared to pull the horse up.

“The horse was out by about five lengths and looked to be on his way to a very easy winning effort before the jockey at the top of the stretch started to what, to me, appeared to restrain the horse or over-manage or over-handle the horse to the point that it allowed the balance of the field to catch up,” explained Assiniboia Downs CEO Darren Dunn.

Dunn said his initial thought was the horse was injured but when the rest of the field caught up, Dunn said the jockey reengaged his horse and aggressively rode him to the wire, with the horse ending up losing by a long neck, placing second.

After the stewards of the race did not post an inquiry, the Manitoba Jockey Club, the non-profit operators of the racetrack, reached out to the provincial regulator, the Liquor, Gaming and Cannabis Authority (LGCA), to formally request a full and complete review of the race.

Dunn said in the aftermath, video of the race went viral online with hundreds of thousands of views.

“I had reach outs from as far away as Asia, the Middle East, Australia and all over North America,” he said.

“My position is very clear on it that I believe there was interference by the jockey that affected the outcome of the race.”

The LGCA launched its standard investigative process that included interviewing witnesses, analyzing video replay and reviewing wagering data, but determined no rules of thoroughbred racing were violated.

“Therefore, adjustments to the order of finish are not required,” the ruling reads.

Dunn said while he fully respects the right and responsibility of the regulator to make the call, he strongly disagrees with the conclusion.

“In speaking to the jockey even a few days after the race, it appeared that he was erring on the side of caution relative to some tendencies of the horse to get out and move around, maybe in an unsafe manner,” he said.

“But when you're out by five, there's nobody around you, I felt like he over-handled the horse and therefore ultimately affected the outcome, and the horse should have won and would have won.”

Dunn believes the ruling should have included significant discipline for the jockey involving a fine or a suspension.

Despite the outcome, Dunn said the review was necessary to reflect the integrity of their horse racing program.

“I don't believe for a second that the jockey tried to fix the race or cheat,” he said. “But I have to send the message very clearly and transparently that we have honest racing. We fly straight out of Assiniboia Downs.”