Mauritian jockey Ashvin Mudhoo has been fined by the Racing Integrity Board after forging his ex-employer's signature. Photo / Facebook
Mauritian jockey Ashvin Mudhoo has been fined by the Racing Integrity Board after forging his ex-employer's signature. Photo / Facebook
A Mauritian jockey who missed a series of emails while visiting home returned to New Zealand to find his visa had been cancelled.
In a desperate bid to raise funds to apply for another one, Ashvin Mudhoo forged his ex-employer’s signature and attempted to withdraw $6500 from his brother’s account so he could get back in the saddle.
The money was held in a New Zealand Thoroughbred Racing (NZTR) account, which is where a jockey’s stakes from winning races are paid. Because Ashvin’s brother Ayush is an apprentice jockey, he needed sign-off from his employer to access it.
So, with his brother’s permission, Ashvin filled out a form to withdraw the funds from Ayush’s account.
However, Ashvin had worked for the same woman, Ilone Kelly, during his jockey apprenticeship and she recognised his handwriting when NZTR sent the form to her to file away for her records.
Jockeys and brothers Ashvin (left) and Jeetesh Mudhoo during their time working together at Ilone Kelly's stables in Levin. Photo / NZME
Kelly informed NZTR her signature had been forged and that she hadn’t approved the request.
Following inquiries from NZTR about the request to withdraw the funds, Ayush said his brother needed the money to assist with his visa application and he had felt under significant pressure to support him.
No money was released from the fund and Ayush escaped with a warning from NZTR.
However, Ashvin was charged by the Racing Integrity Board with a serious racing offence for the forging of Kelly’s signature and it held a hearing into his conduct last week.
His brother Jeetesh followed and they joined Kelly’s stables in Levin, sometimes racing against each other, before their younger brother Ayush also joined the team as an apprentice.
Jeetesh and Ayush still work for Kelly but Ashvin has moved to another stable.
Kelly told NZME that after the forging of her signature she has told him not to set foot on her property again.
Brothers Ashvin, Jeetesh and Ayush Mudhoo raced against each other at Trentham last year. Photo / Facebook
“I was immediately very, very suspicious,” Kelly said after having received the forms from NZTR.
“I’d had a chat with Ayush before that about withdrawing the funds to help his brother, but I didn’t want him doing that and leaving him with nothing.”
Kelly said it was sad to see Ayush placed under so much pressure to help his brother.
At last week’s hearing, Ashvin told the Racing Integrity Board he had gone home to Mauritius in 2024 and hadn’t seen a series of important emails regarding his immigration status that had gone into his junk folder.
As a result, he said his visa had been cancelled, and he was unable to return to work as a Class A jockey and was instead only able to secure a visa to work as a trackwork rider.
Ashvin told NZME he has since sorted his visa and has returned to racing as a jockey but declined to comment further.
The board opted not to suspend Ashvin from racing and instead ordered him to pay a fine of $2500, which it said took into account the severity of the offence, as well as his circumstances.
“The gravity of the offence cannot be understated. Forging a signature to gain pecuniary advantage is a serious offence that undermines the integrity of the racing industry,” the board said in a ruling released on Wednesday.
“Whilst this does not excuse his actions, it does provide context.”
Jeremy Wilkinson is an Open Justice reporter based in Manawatū covering courts and justice issues with an interest in tribunals. He has been a journalist for nearly a decade and has worked for NZME since 2022.
