A horse training company has been convicted and fined $350,000 in a Melbourne court over the fatal fall of apprentice jockey Mikaela Claridge.
Claridge, 22, died in August 2019 after coming off her horse during routine pre-dawn trackwork on the sand trails of Cranbourne Training Complex.
The facility, which is Australia's largest thoroughbred training centre, is operated by Cranbourne Turf Club.
Claridge's employer, Saloon Park Proprietary Limited, was found guilty by a County Court jury of twelve in March of failing to provide a safe working environment.
Today, inside a Melbourne County Court room packed with Claridge's family and friends, the company was convicted and fined $350,000.
During sentencing Judge Peter Rozen said there were "readily available" measures to Saloon Park Pty Ltd to eliminate or reduce risks prior to Claridge's death.
"These included prohibiting its employee track riders from riding horses on the sand trails in the dark," Judge Rozen said.
"There was nothing to prevent it from implementing such a direction.
"There was no cost associated with making the change."
Judge Rozen said the company's good corporate character was considered when sentencing, but that the objective seriousness of its offending was "significant", as was its moral culpability.
"It was reasonably practical to have eliminated those risks," he said.
"That was what the [Occupational Health and Safety] Act required Saloon Park Pty Ltd to do."
'Clearly preventable'
During today's proceedings Judge Rozen summarised the victim impact statements from Claridge's loved ones.
"The evidence before the court is that she was a remarkable young woman who was determined to pursue a career in the dangerous horse racing industry," he told the court.
"Her years of dedicated training were starting to bear fruit when her life was violently ended.
"That her death was clearly preventable, makes it all the more tragic."
At last month's hearing, Saloon Park Pty Ltd's lawyer, Robert Taylor, said the company may not be able to pay the fine issued by Judge Rozen.
Earlier this year, Cranbourne Turf Club was convicted and fined $250,000.
Mr Taylor submitted that if company was fined the same as Cranbourne Turf Club, it would likely require Saloon Park Pty Ltd to "declare insolvency" and urged the judge to reduce the fine.
In sentencing, Judge Rozen said he considered the culpability of Saloon Park Pty Ltd to have been at least as high as Cranbourne Turf Club's.
Judge Rozen granted Saloon Park Pty Ltd a stay of six months to pay the fine.
If the fine cannot be paid in that time, the company will be able to seek an instalment order.
