Code of Maryland Regulations › Title 09 - MARYLAND DEPARTMENT OF LABOR › Subtitle 10 - RACING COMMISSION › Chapter 09.10.02 - Harness Racing › Section 09.10.02.33 - Rules of the Race

Current through Register Vol. 51, No. 14, July 12, 2024
A. Before the first
				heat or race at any meeting is contested, the officials and drivers shall meet
				at a time and place designated by the presiding judge, at which time the rules
				and regulations shall be discussed and all drivers' licenses shall be examined
				by the starter. Every driver shall be notified of the time and place of the
				meeting. A driver who shall, after notice, fail to attend the meeting may not
				be permitted to drive until he shall have met with the officials of the meeting
				by appointment thereafter at their convenience, and may be fined in a sum not
				to exceed $100.
B. All horses shall
				race from the paddock and shall be in the paddock 60 minutes before off-time of
				the first heat or race in which they are scheduled to start, and, if racing
				more than one heat or race, shall return to the paddock after each heat or race
				until the final heat or race in which the horses are scheduled to start has
				been completed.
C. The judges shall
				ring a bell or otherwise notify the paddock 15 minutes before the off-time
				announced for the heat or race, which shall be notice to all parties to prepare
				for the heat or race. All horses shall parade from the paddock upon the track
				and before the grandstand not later than 8 minutes before off-time. A horse or
				driver not on the track 8 minutes before off-time ready to parade shall be
				fined not exceeding $100 and his horse may be ruled out by the judges and
				considered withdrawn at their discretion. In all stakes and matches, failure to
				appear constitutes a forfeit.
D. At
				the conclusion of each heat or race, every driver shall return in the sulky to
				be dismissed by the patrol judge stationed at the wire. A driver may not
				dismount or leave the track until permission to do so has been granted by the
				patrol judge. A driver desiring to enter a claim of foul or other complaint of
				violation of the rules shall, before dismounting, indicate to the patrol judge
				his desire to enter the claim or complaint and forthwith shall proceed to the
				paddock and telephone the judges' stand, where and when the claim of foul or
				other complaint of violation of the rules shall be immediately entered. A
				complaint may not be considered unless made to the judges in the manner
				provided in these regulations. The judges may not cause the official sign to be
				displayed until the claim of foul or other complaint of violation of the rules
				has been entered and considered.
E.
				In the event of an accident occurring in the course of a heat or race, the
				cause shall be investigated by the judges immediately at the conclusion of the
				heat or race. A driver or drivers may be called to the telephone for the
				purpose of the investigation. The judges may not cause the official sign to be
				displayed until an investigation is made.
F. All heats or races shall be started from a
				starting gate or starting device or a design approved by the
				Commission.
G. If racing pursuant
				to license is conducted at night, the post time for the first race shall be set
				by the association conducting the meeting, the time to be approved by the
				Commission. If, due to inclement weather, track conditions, power failure, or
				any other cause, the post time of the first race must be delayed, the post time
				of the first race may not be later than 8:45 p.m. The post time of the last
				heat or race may not be later than 11:59 p.m., unless permission is granted by
				the Maryland Racing Commission.
H.
				Driving Rules.
(1) Although a leading horse
				is entitled to any part of the track, except after selecting a position in the
				home stretch, the driver of the first horse or any other driver in the race may
				not do any of the following things, which are considered violations of driving
				rules:
(a) Change either to the right or left
				during any part of the race when another horse is so near the driver that in
				altering his position the driver compels the horse behind the driver to shorten
				his stride, or causes the driver of the other horse to pull him out of his
				stride;
(b) Jostle, strike, hook
				wheels, or interfere with another horse or driver;
(c) Cross sharply in front of a horse or
				cross over in front of a field of horses in a reckless manner, endangering
				other drivers;
(d) Swerve in and
				out or pull up quickly;
(e) Crowd a
				horse or driver by "putting a wheel under him";
(f) Carry a horse out;
(g) Sit down in front of a horse or take up
				abruptly in front of other horses so as to cause confusion or interference
				among trailing horses;
(h) Let a
				horse pass inside needlessly, or otherwise help another horse improve his
				position in the race;
(i) Commit
				any act which impedes the progress of another horse or causes him to
				break;
(j) Change course after
				selecting a position in the home stretch or swerve in and out, or bear in and
				out, in such a manner as to interfere with another horse or cause him to change
				course or take back;
(k) Drive in a
				careless or reckless manner;
(l)
				Whip under the arch of the sulky, the penalty for which is not less than 10
				days suspension;
(m) Lay off the
				normal pace, thereby leaving a hole when it is well within the horse's
				capability to keep the hole closed; or
(n) Drive a horse in a manner which would put
				the horse half-in or half-out of any racing lane on the racetrack.