Jockey gets life ban for threat
A South African jockey has been banned for life from New Zealand racing for threatening harm to a rival and ex-girlfriend by causing her to fall during a race.
Brandon Morgenrood, 42, was disqualified for life by racing’s Judicial Control Authority at a hearing last week.
Morgenrood, who was granted a jockey’s licence in New Zealand in 2017 after being issued a fiveyear ban for race-fixing in South Africa, was charged with three serious breaches of the rules of NZ Thoroughbred Racing:
On February 21, he threatened to cause jockey Tina Comignaghi to fall in race four at the Canterbury Jockey Club meeting at Riccarton, Christchurch.
Between February 11-18 he committed an act that caused undue suffering to the horse Vivace Lady by pulling on its mouth unnecessarily while riding it in trackwork, which resulted in the horse suffering cuts and abrasions to the inside of its mouth.
On February 18 he counselled jockey Brett Murray to ride in a manner that would assist him to cause Comignaghi to fall in race four at Riccarton on February 21.
Morgenrood pleaded guilty to all charges and the JCA committee, chaired by Tangi Utikere, found a life disqualification was: ‘‘the only viable, fair and appropriate sanction to denounce such serious offending, which has no place in the New Zealand Racing Industry’’.
According to the JCA report, Morgenrood and Comignaghi were in a relationship between September 2018 and December 2019, after which Morgenrood began sending her inappropriate messages.
On February 9, Morgenrood sent his former partner a text message which read: ‘‘I’m gona f--u over big time!’’ [sic]. The following day, Comignaghi blocked Morgenrood from communication but this did not prevent him from ‘‘continuing to harass and intimidate Miss Comignaghi’’.
On February 17 he deposited 1 cent into her bank account with threatening words in the particulars. The pair were observed in a heated confrontation at the races on February 21 which caused the Racing Integrity Unit to investigate . Comignaghi told Morgenrood to ‘‘drop it, drop it’’ and to leave the room. Morgenrood replied: ‘‘the only thing that’s going to drop is you in the race’’. He was stood down from riding before race four after he was interviewed by the RIU and admitted making the comments.
Three days earlier, Murray advised his employer, trainer Anna Furlong, that Morgenrood had been pulling unnecessarily on the horse Vivace Lady’s mouth for several days when riding it in trackwork. The horse sustained mouth injuries which were confirmed by a later vet examination, with the intention of causing the horse to overreact in a race. Morgenrood was aware that Comignaghi was booked to ride Vivace Lady on February 21.
Murray also advised Furlong that Morgenrood had asked him to push up on his mount Arctic Warrior, drawn in barrier one, thereby preventing Comignaghi and Vivace Lady in barrier two from crossing, and ‘‘leaving her exposed to Mr Morgenrood’’ riding Chorister which had drawn four.