Appendix II: Horse Racing Appeals Panel

Established through the Horse Racing Licence Act, 2015, the Horse Racing Appeal Panel (HRAP) is an adjudicative body that is mandated to consider appeals of decisions made under the Rules of Racing. 

The HRAP was established as an institutionally independent and impartial adjudicative body that operates at arm’s length from the AGCO. Members are appointed to the HRAP by the AGCO Board of Directors. The HRAP is also provided operational and administrative support by the HRAP Secretariat, which is a unit within the Corporate Affairs, Strategic Policy and Planning Division of the AGCO. The HRAP Secretariat is operated as a standalone unit and is separate from other parts of the AGCO organization to support the institutional independence of the HRAP. Although the HRAP Chair and Panel members are appointed by the AGCO Board of Directors, the AGCO has no oversight role or involvement in adjudicative matters overseen by the Panel and has no authority or jurisdiction to intervene in individual cases. 

Panel members

HRAP members are appointed by the AGCO Board of Directors based on experience and qualifications and through a competitive, merit-based process. There is broad representation from the various sectors of the industry on the Panel, with various members possessing a background or experience in law, veterinary medicine and pharmacology, governance and administrative justice.

Stanley Sadinsky  

CHAIR  

First Appointed: April 1, 2016  

Term Expires: March 31, 2025 

Brian Newton  

MEMBER  

First Appointed: April 1, 2016  

Term Expires: March 31, 2026  

Sandra Meyrick  

VICE-CHAIR  

First Appointed: April 1, 2016  

Term Expires: March 31, 2026 

Bruce Murray  

MEMBER  

First Appointed: April 1, 2016  

Term Expires: March 31, 2025  

John Charalambous  

MEMBER  

First Appointed: April 1, 2016  

Term Expires: March 31, 2025  

Eric Anthony Clear (Tony) Williams  

MEMBER  

First Appointed: July 22, 2020  

Term Expires: July 21, 2023 

Dr. John Hayes  

MEMBER  

First Appointed: April 1, 2016  

Term Expires: March 31, 2026  

  

 

Year in review

Throughout 2022-23, hearings continued to be offered through an electronic format. These hearings are accessible through a secure Zoom platform and facilitated by the HRAP Secretariat. Virtual training is available through the Secretariat to all participants in the electronic hearing process.

This year was the first one since 2020 wherein no racing dates were lost due to COVID-19 mitigation measures.

The HRAP received a total of fifty-four (54) Notices of Appeal and heard a total of forty-seven (47) virtual hearings (and one (1) in-person on an accommodation basis) with seventeen (17) additional matters, totaling sixty-four (64) electronic hearings for the fiscal year. This number does not include contested Motions or pre-hearing conferences. In doing so, the HRAP continued to operate without any backlog of cases. In the “A” hearings stream, which are usually complex cases with significant consequences, regular pre-hearing conferences have helped shorten the hearing process. The type “B” hearings are the less complex cases and the average filing time from appeal to hearing for this fiscal year was 67 days (down from 96 days in 2019–20). 

Statistical report for 2022–23

Table 37 - Notices of Appeal 

Number of Notices of Appeal filed with HRAP in 2021–22

Number of Notices of Appeal filed with HRAP in 2022–23

32

54

 

Table 38 - Appeals by type of infraction 

 

2021–22 

2022–23

Interference  

10 

26 

Human Alcohol or Drug  

0 

0 

Equine Drug or Medication  

7 

11 

Urging  

4 

4 

Other Racing Violation  

11 

13 

 

Table 39 - Motions

Number of Motions 

 

55

Stay Motions 

Orders 

Other Types of Motions 

30

13

12

 

Table 40 - Hearings 

Electronic Hearings 

Additional Matters

Total Electronic Hearings

47

17

64

Appeal Hearings 

Stay Hearings 

Motion Hearings 

30

7

10