Stewards and Judges will be given greater flexibility to consider mitigating
factors in deciding whether to deny the purse and disqualify a horse for lessor
violations of racing’s medication rules under the latest version of the
Association of Racing Commissioners International (ARCI) Model Rules of Racing.
Version 8.1, now available on the ARCI’s website www.arci.com, permits the consideration of
mitigating factors in deciding whether to deny a purse for some violations
involving substances requiring a “Class C” penalty. Consideration
of mitigating circumstances has long been permitted for Class B penalty
violations and this change extends current policy to lessor offenses.
The ARCI Board also voted to conduct an overall review of the recommended
Penalty Guidelines for medication and doping violations.
“Some have argued that the recommended penalties may not be tough enough for
the most egregious violations or that isolated minor offenses are treated too
harshly,” ARCI President Ed Martin said. “This has not been
examined in depth for many years and the Board believes this review is
overdue.”
RCI Chair Jeff Colliton, the Chairman of the Washington Racing Commission,
assigned the task to the Drug Testing Standards and Practices
Committee. Committee Chair Duncan Patterson, the Chair of the Delaware
Thoroughbred Racing Commission, will coordinate that review in consultation
with committee members and industry representatives.
In other actions, the ARCI:
- Voted NOT to modify its existing rule
requiring the independent third party administration of
furosemide. Some states, like Minnesota and Colorado, have
adopted an alternate approach and a proposal was considered, but rejected,
to include those approaches in the Model Rules;
- Affirmed the policy of assigning four
(4) Multiple Medication Violation (MMV) points for carbon-dioxide (TCO2)
violations;
- Amended the Model Rule to reflect the
current policy in Kentucky giving greater flexibility to tracks in
determining payouts for Pick N/PositionX wagers;
- Approved preliminary changes to
strengthen the rule concerning the use of the riding crop with final adoption and publication
contingent on a clear definition of the term “chance to respond” in order
to provide clarification/direction to Stewards in determining a violation.
- Neither the Model Rules Committee or
the ARCI Board took action on a proposal to amend the rules regarding the
control of estrus in female greyhounds.
