Jody Hughes wins at Ardlethan.
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NSW Stewards took revenue raising to new extremes at the Ardlethan picnics on Saturday, sanctioning jockey Jody Hughes for an indiscretion in a one horse race.
Hughes was fined $100 for her winning salute aboard the Trevor Sutherland-trained March Ahead, who claimed victory in the day’s 1000m maiden by walkover after the only other horse in the race was scratched at the barriers.
In a gallop devoid of any element of a race, Hughes gave the crowd something to cheer about inside the 100m when she rose out of the saddle and raised her fist in salute.
However stewards took umbrage at the gesture, slapping the 23-year-old with the $100 fine, which essentially equated to her 5% share in the winning prizemoney.
But Hughes had the last laugh, ending the day with a treble to ensure she, like her backers, well and truly finished in the black.
This article first appeared on Racing.com and is reprinted here with their kind permission. To find out more about Racing Victoria’s Off the Track program, visit rv.racing.com/the-horse/off-the-track.
