Age of a horse foaled in the northern hemisphere shall be reckoned from the first day of January of the year of foaling.
Alcohol means the intoxicating agent in Beverage Alcohol, ethyl alcohol, or other low molecular weight alcohols including methyl and isopropyl.
Allotted Stabling Area shall be the stalls, feed rooms, offices allotted to a trainer and the shedrow immediately in front of said areas, plus the immediate most direct access to these areas.
Arrears are all monies owed by a licensee, including subscriptions, jockey fees, forfeitures, and any default incident to these Rules.
Association means a person, association or corporate body, licensed by the Commission to conduct a race meeting.
Authorized Agent is a person licensed by the Commission and authorized by a licensed owner to claim horses on the owner's behalf.
BAC means Blood Alcohol Concentration. It is the grams of alcohol in 100 millilitres of blood when referenced as .02 to .039 BAC and the equivalent of 20 to 39 milligrams of alcohol in 100 millilitres of blood.
Beverage Alcohol means beer, wine and distilled spirits.
Board means the board of the Commission established under the Alcohol and Gaming Regulation and Public Protection Act, 1996.
Breeder is the owner of the horse’s dam at the time of foaling.
Canadian-bred horse is one that is registered as such by the Canadian Thoroughbred Horse Society.
Careless Riding means every jockey/apprentice who rides a horse on a race track without due care and attention or without reasonable consideration for other jockeys, apprentice jockeys and/or horses and shall constitute a violation of these Rules.
Chief Test Inspector means the official approved pursuant to Part V of the Pari-Mutuel Betting Supervision Regulations under the Criminal Code (Canada), and who is directly responsible to the Canadian Pari-Mutuel Agency and to the Stewards for taking official urine and blood samples from the horses and for handling and shipping such samples.
Claiming race is a race which permits horses starting to be claimed (purchased for a designated amount) in conformance with the Rules.
Clear Days shall be construed so as to exclude the day of the last race or the day of the last workout and the day of the race, or; the day of the claim and the day of the sale or transfer, or the day of the race outside of Ontario.
Commission means the Alcohol and Gaming Commission of Ontario (AGCO).
A Commission means a Racing Commission recognized by the Commission.
Commission Representative means an employee(s) or agent of the Commission delegated the duties as required by the Registrar.
Commission Veterinarian means a person employed by the Commission and licensed in good standing with the College of Veterinarians of Ontario.
Conditional licence means any Commission licence which has conditions limiting the normal rights of that licence holder.
Day (also known as a calendar day) is a 24-hour period beginning at 12:01 a.m. and ending at 12:00 p.m. midnight.
Designated Licensee means all Designated Racing Officials and individuals who hold a safety-sensitive position.
Designated Racing Officials means all employees and other individuals who have responsibility for decision making and the safe operations of all events at Commission licensed facilities. The following positions are included:
- Thoroughbred - Stewards, Paddock Judge, Clerk of the Scales, Assistant Clerk of the Scales, Placing Judge, Horse Ambulance Driver and Course Marshall;
- Quarter Horse - Stewards, Paddock Judge, Clerk of the Scales, Horse Ambulance Driver and Course Marshall.
EIPH Program - The Ontario Thoroughbred Exercise Induced Pulmonary Haemorrhage Program, (hereinafter referred to as the “EIPH Program” in these Rules) consists of a controlled medication program whereby furosemide shall be administered to horses certified to receive same while in competition in pari-mutuel races with the Rules established by the Commission and in accordance with the provisions of the Pari-Mutuel Betting Supervision Regulations under the Criminal Code (Canada).
Entry means the naming of a particular horse to a particular race as a starter.
Entry Date means the date on which a horse is entered for the first time. To qualify for this date, a horse must have been excluded from a race which appears on the overnight or it must have been entered in a race which failed to fill through insufficient entries, or was not used by the Association. In order to maintain an entry date, papers must be on file with the Association.
Equipment includes, when applied to a horse, crops, blinkers, cheek pieces, side rolls and plates.
Feature racing shall be defined in the same manner as set forth in the Pari-Mutuel Betting Supervision Regulations under the Criminal Code (Canada).
Gender words of the masculine gender include the feminine and the neuter.
Handicap is a race in which the weights to be carried by the horses are assigned by the Racing Secretary or Handicapper for the purpose of equalizing the chances of winning for all horses entered or nominated.
Highweight handicap is one in which the top weight shall not be less than 140 pounds.
Horse is any thoroughbred equine (including and designated as a mare, filly, stallion, colt, ridgling or gelding) registered for racing; or specifically an entire male 5 years of age or older.
Horse Improvement Program means a suite of multi-breed Ontario racing and breeding incentive programs (including the Ontario Sires Stakes and the Mare Residency Program).
HBPA means the Horsemen’s Benevolent and Protective Association.
Horse Racing Appeal Panel (the HRAP) means the Panel established under the Horse Racing Licence Act, 2015.
Illegal Drug means any drug or substance which is not legally obtainable and whose use, sale, possession, purchase or transfer is restricted or prohibited by law.
Immediate Family means the son, daughter, son-in-law, daughter-in-law, father, mother, grandchild, grandparent, adopted son, adopted daughter, step son, step daughter, or person to whom the affected licensee stands in loco parentis.
Impairing Prescription Medication means a substance, other than Marihuana, that may be legally prescribed by a health care professional in Canada and that has the potential to impair the physical or cognitive abilities of the person using the substance, regardless of whether the substance is or is not used as prescribed.
Lessee is a person to whom the racing qualities of a horse are leased, in whole or in part.
Lessor is a person from whom the racing qualities of a horse are leased, in whole or in part.
Maiden is a horse that has never won an official or recognized race as defined in breed registry rules.
Marihuana means all parts of the Cannabis plant, its derivatives and compounds that contain the psychoactive cannabinoid chemical “delta-9-tetrahydro-cannabinol” (THC).
Medical Review Officer means a licensed physician responsible for receiving laboratory results generated by an agency’s drug testing program, who has knowledge of substance abuse disorders and has appropriate medical training to interpret and evaluate an individual’s positive test result together with his medical history and any other relevant biomedical information.
Meeting is the specified period and dates each year during which an Association is authorized to conduct racing by approval of the Registrar.
Minister means the Minister responsible for the administration of Part 1 of the Alcohol and Gaming Regulation and Public Protection Act, 1996.
Minor means a person who has not yet attained the age of eighteen (18) years.
Month means a calendar month.
Multiple Ownership shall mean ownership of one or more horses by more than one individual.
Nominator is a person or entity in whose name a horse is nominated for a race or series of races.
Observation Period means the time of observation, conducted by a Commission Veterinarian or Official Veterinarian, which may include a physical examination after a claiming race.
Official Chemist means a person approved as the Official Chemist pursuant to the Pari-Mutuel Betting Supervision Regulations under the Criminal Code (Canada).
Official Sample means a sample of blood, saliva, urine or other bodily substance that has, in accordance with the Pari-Mutuel Betting Supervision Regulations under the Criminal Code (Canada), been obtained from a horse.
Official Veterinarian means a person employed by the Association and licensed in good standing with the College of Veterinarians of Ontario.
Officials, Racing Officials The following categories shall be considered Officials, or Racing Officials:
- Stewards
- Placing Judges
- Horse Identifier
- Clerk of the Scales
- Assistant Clerk of the Scales
- Starter
- Assistant Starters
- Starting Gate Groundsperson
- Jockeys’ Room Custodian
- Clockers
- Racing Secretary
- Assistant Racing Secretary
- Commission Veterinarian or Official Veterinarian
- Paddock Judges
- Course Marshall (Outrider(s))
- Deleted.
- Horseperson’s Bookkeeper
- Assistant Horseperson’s Bookkeeper
- Paddock Security Officers
Ontario Sire means a stallion registered with the Horse Improvement Program Registry for the Northern Hemisphere breeding season.
Ontario Sired means a horse whose sire was an Ontario Sire registered with the applicable breed registry in the horse’s conception year.
Ontario Bred means a horse foaled in the Province of Ontario out of an Ontario Resident Mare.
Ontario Resident Mare means a mare, registered with the Horse Improvement Program Registry, foaling out in Ontario that has met all residency eligibility requirements for the birth year.
Optional Claiming Race means a race wherein horses can be entered for the pre-determined claiming price. If “entered not to be claimed”, the horse must meet the allowance condition of this race.
Overnight Handicap is an overnight race in which the weights to be carried by the horses are assigned by the handicapper.
Overnight Race means a race for which entries close for the first race of the day on which the race is to be run at the time set by the race secretary, and for which no liability is incurred by the owner for entrance money.
Owner is a person who holds any title, right or interest, in whole or in part, in a horse.
Partnership for the purposes of racing, a Partnership shall be a single entity.
Post position is the position assigned to the horse for the start of the race drawn in accordance with Rule 6.17.
Post time is the scheduled time set by the official clock on the tote board for horses to arrive at the starting gate for a race.
Prohibited Substance means any substance which the Registrar has declared prohibited and includes Marihuana.
Public stable trainer is a person who trains for anyone other than oneself or one’s spouse.
Publication means a Registrar’s Directive, Ruling and any other publication which may from time to time be so designated by the Registrar.
Race is a contest between horses at a licensed meeting.
Racetrack or track shall be deemed to mean and include all parts of the plant or premises of an Association.
Registrar has the same meaning as under the Alcohol and Gaming Regulation and Public Protection Act, 1996.
Rules means the Rules of Thoroughbred Racing herein prescribed and any amendments thereto, and relate only to Thoroughbred racing at all Ontario race tracks under the jurisdiction of the Commission.
Running Date means the date which corresponds to the day of a horse’s most recent race. Once establishing either a Running Date or an Entry Date in Ontario, all subsequent starts in Ontario will establish new Running Dates.
Safety Rein means a rein that is constructed to prevent failure due to breakage of the line, or breakage or inadvertent loss of the primary connection to the bit.
Safety Sensitive Position means a position, as determined by the Registrar, in which individuals have a key and direct role in the handling of a horse such that performance is impacted by alcohol or other drug use could result in a licensee has a direct role in racing such that Alcohol, Illegal Drug, Impairing Prescription Medication or Prohibited Substance use could result in:
- An incident affecting the health or safety of employees, licensees, patrons, horses, or the public; or
- An inadequate response or failure to respond to an emergency or operational situation.
When determining if a position is a Safety Sensitive Position, the factors which the Registrar will consider include, but are not limited, to the following:
- The type and amount of contact the position has with horses
- The extent to which the position requires the individual to be on the racetrack at the same time as horses and the circumstances of that presence on the racetrack.
This category includes any and all licensees required to temporarily act in a Safety Sensitive Position.
The following positions are Safety Sensitive Positions:
- Thoroughbred: apprentice jockey, exercise person, jockey, pony person, starting gate personnel, horse identifier, commission and official veterinarian, jockey valet, trainer, groom, hot walker and blacksmith, test inspector, and TCO2 technician.
- Quarter Horse: apprentice jockey, exercise person, jockey, pony person, starting gate personnel, horse identifier, commission and official veterinarian, jockey valet, trainer, groom, hot walker and blacksmith, test inspector, and TCO2 technician.
Scratch Time is the deadline set by the Association for withdrawal of entries from a scheduled performance.
Scratching is the act of withdrawing an entered horse from a race after closing of entries.
Sex means mare, filly, spayed mare or filly, colt, stallion, ridgling, or gelding.
Singular, Plural; words in the singular number include the plural, and in the plural number includes the singular.
Spouse means either of two persons, who:
- Are married to each other, or
- Not being married to each other, are cohabiting in a relationship of some permanence, but does not include persons who are living separate and apart from each other pursuant to a decree, order or judgement of a court of competent jurisdiction, or pursuant to a written agreement.
Stable area means those places within the property of a racing Association comprising the stables, track kitchen, racing offices, training areas, saddling areas including paddock and walking ring, and the winner’s enclosure.
Steward is a duly appointed Racing Official with powers and duties specified by statute or rules.
Subscription means the act of nominating for a stakes race.
Substance Abuse Professional (SAP) means an individual with knowledge of and clinical experience in the diagnosis and treatment of alcohol and drug related disorders; the SAP will assess if the individual has a problem, make recommendations regarding education and treatment, and recommend a return-to-duty monitoring program including unannounced testing.
Suspension shall mean prohibition from participating in any manner in racing during the period of that suspension in Thoroughbred, Standardbred, and Quarter Horse racing.
Sweepstakes or Stakes shall be defined as any race in which nominations close more than 72 hours in advance of its running and for which subscribers contribute money towards its purse; or a race for which horses are invited by an Association to run for a guaranteed purse of $50,000 or more, without payment of stakes fees.
Track (see Racetrack).
Unauthorized Person is any person, including approved stable area guests or licensee who has not secured permission from a trainer or his representative for permission to enter their allotted stable area. Excluded are Association employees and Horsemen’s Benevolent and Protective Association appointed representatives.
Urine Inspector means a person employed by the Canadian Pari-Mutuel Agency to perform duties set out in Part V of the Pari-Mutuel Betting Supervision Regulations under the Criminal Code (Canada).
Walkover is a race in which only one horse starts and completes the course.
Weight for age is a race in which a fixed scale is used to assign the weight to be carried by individual horses according to age, sex, distance of the race, and season of the year.