See also Chapter 17: The Starter
11.01 A trainer shall have their horse in the paddock at the time appointed. The trainer or their assistant trainer shall also attend the horse in the paddock, and be present to supervise its saddling, unless he/she has obtained permission of a Steward to send another trainer as a substitute.
11.02.01 The Stewards may permit a horse to be excused from parading with the other horses and be led to the post, but such horse shall nevertheless pass the Stewards’ stand on its way to the post.
11.02.02 Lead ponies and their riders shall be permitted to enter the saddling paddock or walking ring only with the permission of the Stewards.
11.03 After the horses enter the racing strip, no jockey shall dismount and no horse shall be entitled to the care of an attendant without consent of the Stewards or the Starter and the horse must be free of all hands other than those of the jockey or Assistant Starter before the Starter releases the doors of the gate.
11.04 In case of accident to a jockey or to their mount or equipment, the Stewards or the Starter may permit the jockey to dismount and the horse to be cared for during the delay, and may permit all jockeys to dismount and all horses to be attended during the delay.
11.05.01 If a jockey is so injured on the way to the post as to require another jockey, the horse may be taken to the paddock, another jockey obtained, and then ridden over any uncompleted portion of the exact route of the parade to the starting point. Provided the horse has carried the jockey throughout the route of the post parade, the Starter may, if necessary, load the horse with the rider dismounted.
11.05.02 Deleted.
11.05.03 If a horse leaves the course while moving from paddock to post, it shall be returned to the course at the nearest practical point to that at which it left the course, and its jockey shall complete his/her parade to the post from the point at which it left the course.
11.05.04 In case of a pre-start accident to a rider, horse or equipment, the Starter may delay the race for such reasonable time as the Stewards determine.
11.06 In case the start of the horses at the post is delayed, the Starter may permit jockeys to dismount and their mounts to be attended.
11.07 When clear, a horse may be taken to any part of the track, but if the horse swerves or is ridden to either side so as to interfere with, intimidate or impede any other horse, such horse may be disqualified.
11.08 If in a race a horse leaves the course, it shall be disqualified.
11.09.01 If a horse or jockey bothers another horse or jockey, the aggressor may be disqualified provided that the bothered horse or jockey or an additional horse or any jockey(s) was/were not a major contributor to the incident.
11.09.02 During a race no jockey shall cause interference deliberately or inadvertently by striking or touching another jockey’s horse or equipment.
11.09.03 For fouling, interference, or careless riding a rider may be subject to a monetary penalty or suspended, or both, by the Stewards according to the nature and seriousness of the violation.
11.09.04 Deleted.
11.09.05 Any jockey against whom a foul is claimed shall be given the opportunity to appear before the Stewards at the reviewing of the video replays of the race in question, or at any other time agreeable to the Stewards, before any penalty is imposed by them.
11.10 Protests under any Rule in this Chapter shall be made only by the owner, trainer, jockey or their representatives of the horse alleged to be aggrieved, and shall be made to the Stewards or the Clerk of the Scales before or immediately after weighing in. But nothing in this Chapter shall prevent the Stewards from taking such action as they may see fit in accordance with the Rules.
11.11 A Jockey shall lodge an objection when fouled during the running of a race and failure to do so may result in a penalty.
11.12 Stewards are vested with sole authority to determine the disqualification of a horse or entry. Their decision shall be final for pari-mutuel purposes.
11.13 No person shall assist a jockey in removing from his/her horse the equipment that is to be included in the jockey’s weight except an Association valet, except by permission of the Stewards.
11.14 In determining the extent of disqualification of a horse in any race, the Stewards may place the disqualified horse behind such horse as in their judgment the disqualified horse interfered with, or they may place it last.
11.15 Deleted.
11.16 A horse is a starter for all purposes of the Rules when the stall doors of the starting gate open in front of it at the time the Starter dispatches the horses in a valid start.
11.17.01 Deleted.
11.17.02 Deleted.
11.18 Deleted.
11.19 Permission shall be obtained from a Steward to exercise a horse between races.
11.20 In a race, each horse shall carry a conspicuous saddlecloth number and each jockey shall wear the appropriate armband number, corresponding to its number on the official program.
11.21 The elapsed time of the post parade, starting when the first horse to race enters the racing strip from the paddock and ending when the first horse enters the starting gate, shall be determined by the Stewards.
11.22 If there is only one starter in a race, it shall be ridden past the Stewards’ stand, go to the post, move over the course and then be deemed the winner.
11.23 In case of a walkover, the owner of the horse or horses walking over shall receive the earned share or shares of the purse money.
11.24 At their discretion, the Stewards may dispense with a walkover.
11.25 The owners of the horses in a dead heat shall divide equally the purse money involved.
11.26 In a dead heat, each horse shall be considered a winner of the amount received according to the preceding rule.
11.27 When two or more horses finish in a dead heat and a protest is made and allowed against a horse having finished in front of the dead heat, the horses which ran the dead heat shall be deemed to have run a dead heat for the higher position.
11.28 Owners of horses in a dead heat shall divide equally all monies and other prizes and if no agreement can be reached as to which of them shall receive a cup, plate or other indivisible prize, they shall draw lots for it in the presence of one or more of the Stewards.
11.29 If a race has been run by all the horses at the wrong weights or over a wrong course or distance and if a protest is made and allowed before the flashing of the “Official” sign on the totalizer board, the Stewards shall declare the race no contest.
11.30 Where the Stewards determine, after a race has started, that a horse or horses were prevented from having a fair chance to contest a race, due to exceptional circumstances and it is deemed in the public interest to do so, such horse or horses shall be declared non-contestants and the provisions of the Pari-Mutuel Betting Supervision Regulations under the Criminal Code (Canada) pertaining to refunds shall apply.
11.30.01 After the horses are released from the starting gate, the Stewards may order the race stopped.
11.31 Should there be less than five horses finish in any claiming or allowance race the finishers shall be entitled to the same percentage of the purse as set forth by the conditions of that race.
11.32 In all stakes races or walkovers in which there are less than five finishers, the winner shall be entitled to the winner’s percentage of the purse plus all unearned portions of that purse.
11.33 All conversions from metric distances to furlong distances for the purpose of eligibility for races shall be at the following equivalents:
2 FURLONGS 400 METERS
3 FURLONGS 600 METERS
4 FURLONGS 800 METERS
4 ½ FURLONGS 900 METERS
5 FURLONGS 1000 METERS
5 ½ FURLONGS 1100 METERS
6 FURLONGS 1200 METERS
6 ½ FURLONGS 1300 METERS
7 FURLONGS 1400 METERS
1 MILE 1600 METERS
1 MILE AND 70 YARDS 1670 METERS
1 MILE 1/8 1800 METERS
1 MILE 3/16 1900 METERS
1 MILE ¼ 2000 METERS
1 MILE 5/16 2100 METERS
1 MILE 2400 METERS
1 MILE 5/8 2600 METERS
1 MILE ¾ 2800 METERS
1 MILE 7/8 3000 METERS
2 MILES 3200 METERS
2 MILES1/16 3300 METERS
11.34 Deleted.
11.35 In the event there is any mechanical or electrical malfunction of equipment which is used as an aid for race reviewing or the assigning of the official finish, the Stewards shall decide all related matters on the basis of their visual observations and any oral reports received by them and their decisions, subject to appeal to the Horse Racing Appeal Panel (the HRAP), shall be final.
Updates to Thoroughbred — Chapter 11: From Paddock To Finish
No updates at this time.