Michigan Administrative Code › Department - Treasury › Michigan Gaming Control Board › Horse Racing General Rules › Part 3 - THOROUGHBRED RACING › Section R. 431.3290 - Paddock to post

Current through Vol. 24-12, July 15, 2024
Rule 3290.
(1) A
				  horse shall not start unless the trainer and the owner are licensed by the
				  executive director. A trainer who is absent from his or her stable or from the
				  grounds where his or her horses are racing for more than 2 consecutive racing
				  days, and whose horses are entered or are to be entered, shall provide a
				  trainer to assume complete responsibility for the horses being entered or
				  running. Such trainer shall sign, in the presence of the stewards, a form
				  furnished by the executive director accepting complete responsibility for the
				  horses entered or running.
(2)
				  Every horse entering the paddock to race shall be inspected as to its shoeing,
				  if any. An unshod horse may race with permission of the stewards and must be
				  noted on the program or announced to the public.
(3) All horses shall parade and carry their
				  weight from the paddock to the starting post. A horse that fails to do so may
				  be disqualified by the stewards.
(4) After entering the race course, not more
				  than 12 minutes shall elapse in the parade of horses to the post, except in
				  cases of unavoidable delay. After passing the stand once, horses are allowed to
				  break formation and canter, warm up, or go as they please to the post. When
				  horses have reached the post, they shall be started without unnecessary
				  delay.
(5) Each association shall
				  employ not less than 2 outriders to escort starters to the post and to assist
				  in the returning of all horses to the unsaddling area. An outrider shall not
				  lead any horse unless it has demonstrated unruly behavior, but shall assist in
				  the control of any horse which might cause injury to a jockey or others.
				  Outriders are required to be present on the race course, mounted, and ready to
				  assist in the control of any unruly horse or to recapture any loose horse at
				  all times horses are permitted on the race course for exercising or
				  racing.
(6) The horses are under
				  the control of the official starter after they leave the paddock until the
				  start and are not entitled to further care from their attendants, except that,
				  in case of an accident, the official starter may permit jockeys to dismount and
				  may permit horses to be cared for during the delay. Other than this exception,
				  a jockey shall not dismount. Unruly horses shall be placed on the schooling
				  list.
(7) The official starter is
				  required to load horses in the starting gate in order of post position. Any
				  exception to this must be approved by the stewards.
(8) An owner or trainer who desires that his
				  or her horse not be tailed or tonged at the starting gate shall make, at time
				  of entry, a written request to the official starter and the horse shall not be
				  tailed or tonged.
(9) Horses shall
				  be schooled under the supervision of the official starter or his or her
				  assistant. The official starter shall report horses that are sufficiently
				  schooled to start to the racing secretary. Unruly horses shall be placed on the
				  schooling list and shall not start until approved by the official starter. The
				  schooling list shall be respected in all cases.
(10) Before becoming a starter, a horse may
				  be excused by the stewards because of physical disability, incorrigibility, or
				  because of having been improperly entered in the race.
(11) If a horse is excused by the stewards
				  before becoming a starter, or if the doors at the front of the stall gate do
				  not open when the official starter dispatches the field, which causes a horse
				  to be left, or if any horse is disqualified for bringing in underweight, the
				  money bet on any horse or horses thus eliminated shall be deducted from the
				  pool and refunded to the purchasers of tickets on such horse or horses.
				  However, if 1 horse of an entry or 1 of the horses grouped in the field leaves
				  the stall gate and brings in proper weight, there shall not be a refund on the
				  entry or on the field.
(12) When a
				  loose horse leaves the race course the horse shall be scratched.