Current through September 9, 2024
(a)
Declaration.
(1) Unless otherwise
specified in the conditions, approval of which must be granted by the
commission, the declaration time for all races shall be 9:00 A.M., prevailing
time. The association shall provide a locked box with an aperture through which
declarations shall be deposited. At the time specified, the presiding judge who
shall be in charge thereof, shall unlock the box, assort the declarations found
therein, and immediately draw the positions in the presence of such owners or
their representatives as may appear.
(2) Prior to the opening of the declaration
box, when futurities, stakes, early closing or late closing events are
programmed, the presiding judge shall communicate with the race secretary to
ascertain if any declarations by mail, telegraph or otherwise are in the office
of the race secretary and not deposited in the box. If there are such
declarations, the presiding judge shall see that they are declared and drawn in
the proper event. However, in a race of a duration of more than one dash or
heat, the judges may draw positions from the stands for succeeding dashes or
heats.
(3) Declarations by mail or
telegraph or telephone actually received and evidence of which is deposited in
the box before the time specified to declare in, shall be drawn in the same
manner as the others. Such drawing shall be final. When an association requires
a horse to be declared at a stated time, failure to declare as required shall
be considered a withdrawal from the event.
(4) After a declaration to start has been
made, no horses shall be drawn except by permission of the judges.
(5) To avoid conflicts and misunderstandings,
when the time of declaration of any race is stated in days or hours prior to
the day of the race, it shall be construed to exclude Sunday.
(b)
Entry box and drawing of
horses. No owner or agent for a horse with a declaration in the entry
box shall be denied the privilege of being present. Under the supervision of
the presiding judge, all entries shall be listed, the eligibility verified,
preference ascertained, starters selected and post positions drawn. If it is
necessary to reopen any race, public announcement shall be made at least twice
and the box reopened for entries to a definite time.
(c)
Error in declaration. Where
a horse properly declared, other than by telephone, is omitted from the race by
error of the association, the horse may be added to the race but given the
outside post position; provided, however, that the error is discovered prior to
the publication of the official program and said program disclosed such
position.
(d)
Qualifying
races. Declarations for overnight events shall be governed by the
following:
(1) Within two weeks of being
declared in, a horse that has not raced previously at the gait chosen must go a
qualifying race under the supervision of the presiding judge or an associate
judge. No horse shall be permitted to race who does not have at least one
charted line by a licensed charter at the gait chosen. In order to provide
complete and accurate chart information on time and beaten lengths, a standard
photo finish camera shall be in use.
(2) A horse that does not show a charted line
for the previous year must go a qualifying race as set forth in rule (d) (1) of
this section.
(3) Any horse that
fails to race or enter into a race within thirty (30) days must go a qualifying
race as set forth in rule (d) (1) of this section. Horses entered and in to go
in race or races which are cancelled due to no fault of their own, shall be
considered to have raced in that race.
(4) When a horse has raced at a charted
meeting during the current year and then goes to meetings where races are not
charted, the information from the uncharted races may be summarized, including
each start, and consolidated in favor of charted lines. The consolidated line
shall carry date, place, time, driver, finish, track conditions and distance,
if race is not at one mile.
(5) The
judges may require any horse that has been on the steward's list to go a
qualifying race. If a horse has raced in individual time not meeting the
qualifying standards for that class of horse, he may be required to go a
qualifying race.
(6) The judges may
permit a horse to qualify by means of a timed workout consistent with the
demonstrated form and ability of the horse.
(7) To enable a horse to qualify, qualifying
races should be held at least one full week prior to the opening of any meeting
and shall be scheduled at least twice a week. Qualifying races shall also be
scheduled twice a week during the meeting.
(e)
Entries.
(1) When the starters in a race include two
(2) or more horses owned or trained by the same person, or trained in the same
stable or by the same management, they shall be coupled as an "entry" and a
wager on one horse in the "entry" shall be a wager on all horses in the entry.
Provided, however, that when a trainer enters two (2) or more horses in a
stake, early closing, futurity, free-for-all or other special event under bona
fide separate ownership, such horses may, at the request of the association and
with the approval of the commission, be permitted to race as separate entries.
The association must make its request to the commission through the presiding
judge. If the race is split in two or more divisions, horses in an "entry"
shall be seeded in separate divisions insofar as possible, but the divisions in
which they compete and their post positions shall be drawn by lot. The above
provisions also shall apply to elimination heats.
(2) No driver shall drive a horse in a race
in which there shall start another horse which he in any way represents or
handles or in which he has an interest unless the horses are coupled as an
entry.
(f)
Also
eligible. Not more than two horses may be drawn as also eligible for a
race and their positions shall be drawn along with the starters in the race. In
the event one or more horses are excused by the judges, the also eligible horse
or horses shall race and take the post position drawn by the horse it replaces,
except in handicap races. In handicap races the also eligible horse shall take
the place of the horse that it replaces in the event that the handicap is the
same. In the event the handicap is different, the also eligible horse shall
take the position on the outside of horses with similar handicaps. No horse may
be added to a race as an also eligible unless the horse was drawn as such at
the time declarations closed. No horse may be barred from a race to which it is
otherwise eligible by reason of its preference due to the feet that it has been
drawn as an also eligible. A horse moved into the race from the also eligible
list cannot be drawn except by permission of the judges, but the owner or
trainer of such a horse shall be notified that the horse is to race and it
shall be posted at the race secretary's office. Horses on the also eligible
list shall be considered the same as those drawn in to go. All horses on the
also eligible list and not moved in to race by the designated scratch time
shall be released.
(g)
Preference. Preference shall be given in all overnight events
according to a horse's last previous purse race during the current year. The
preference date on a horse that has drawn to race and then scratched is the
date of the race from which he was scratched.
(1) When a horse is racing for the first time
in the current year, the date of the first declaration shall be considered its
last race date and preference applied accordingly.
(2) Where the word "preferred" is used in a
condition, it shall not supersede date preference.
(h)
Steward's list. A horse may
be placed on the "steward's list" if:
(1) It
is dangerous.
(2)
Unmanageable.
(3) Sick.
(4) Lame.
(5) Unable to qualify.
(6) Otherwise unfit.
(i)
Horse on "steward's list".
The horse must be placed on the "steward's list" by the presiding judge and
declarations on such horse shall be refused.
(j)
Notification of owners and trainers
concerning horse on "steward's list". Owners and trainers shall be
notified in writing of such action and the reason for such action.
(k)
Eligibility certificate posted by
clerk of the course concerning horse on "steward's list". The clerk of
the course shall make a note on the eligibility certificate of such horse
showing the date the horse was placed on the "steward's list", the reason
therefor, and the date of removal if the horse has been removed. If a horse is
placed on the "steward's list" due to sickness or lameness, he shall only be
removed from the list by the association veterinarian.
(l)
Driver information.
Declarations shall state who will drive the horse and the driver's colors.
Drivers may be changed until designated scratch time, but the presiding judge
must be notified thereof. No driver shall be changed thereafter except by
permission of the judges, and only then for good cause. When a nominator starts
two or more horses, the judges shall approve or disapprove the second and third
drivers.
