Pennsylvania Administrative Code

§ 303.52. Reciprocity with other states. A Farrier’s or horseshoer’s license, duly issued by and in good standing from another jurisdiction, shall be reciprocally accepted by the Commission or its testing organization as evidence of the Farrier’s experience and qualifications for…

§ 303.53. Commission appointed testing organization. The examination requirements, as set forth in § 303.51(b) (relating to eligibility for a Farrier’s license), may be conducted by the Commission or by an organization or entity duly appointed by the Commission, which has the app…

OWNERS § 303.6. Licensing requirements for owners. (a) Each person who has a 5% or more ownership or beneficial interest in a horse is required to be licensed. (b) An applicant for an owner’s license shall own or lease a horse which is eligible to race, registered with the racing…

§ 303.7. Licensing requirements for multiple owners. (a) If the legal owner of any horse is a partnership, corporation, limited liability company, syndicate or other association or entity, each shareholder, member or partner shall be licensed as required by this rule. (b) Each pa…

PRACTICING VETERINARIANS § 303.71. Eligibility for Commission license. An applicant for a license as a practicing veterinarian on the grounds of a licensed racing facility shall be qualified and licensed to practice veterinary medicine in this Commonwealth. An application for a p…

§ 303.72. Duties and responsibilities. (a) All practicing veterinarians licensed by the Commission and authorized to access secure areas of the licensed racing facility and to participate in racing activities shall ensure the health and welfare of racehorses and shall safeguard t…

§ 303.73. Restrictions on wagering. A practicing veterinarian shall not wager on the outcome of any race if the practicing veterinarian has treated a horse participating in that race within the past 30 days. Cross References This section cited in 7 Pa. Code § 403.1 (relating to g…

§ 303.8. Lease agreements. A horse may be raced under lease provided a completed breed registry or other lease form acceptable to the Commission is attached to the certificate of registration and on file with the Commission. The lessor and lessee shall be licensed as horse owners…

§ 303.9. Stable name registration. Licensed owners and lessees may adopt a stable name subject to the approval of the Commission. (1) The applicant shall identify all persons using the stable name. Any changes shall be reported immediately to the Commission. (2) A person who has …

§ 305.1. General provisions. (a) The Commission shall annually approve each licensed racing entity employee whose duties include the enforcement of pari-mutuel racing and wagering activities which directly or indirectly affect the racing product. Compensation for a racetrack raci…

HORSE IDENTIFIER § 305.101. General authority and duties. (a) The Horse Identifier shall: (1) When required, ensure the safekeeping of digital and paper registration certificates and racing permits for horses stabled or racing, or both, on licensed racing entity grounds; (2) Insp…

RACING OFFICIALS § 305.11. Racing officials. Officials at a race meeting may include the following: (1) Stewards; (2) Racing secretary; (3) Horsemen’s bookkeeper; (4) Paddock Judge; (5) Horse identifier; (6) Clerk of scales; (7) Jockey room custodian; (8) Starter; (9) Timer/clock…

CLERK OF SCALES § 305.111. Duties. The clerk of scales or the assistant clerk of scales shall have the general authority and responsibility to: (1) Verify the presence of all jockeys in the jockeys’ room at the appointed time; (2) Verify that all the jockeys have a current jockey…

§ 305.12. Eligibility. To qualify as a racing official, the appointee shall, at a minimum be: (1) of good character and reputation; (2) experienced in flat racing; (3) familiar with the duties of the position and with the Commission’s rules of flat racing; (4) mentally and physic…

JOCKEY ROOM CUSTODIAN § 305.121. Duties of the jockey room custodian. The jockey room custodian shall be responsible to: (1) Supervise the conduct of the jockeys and their attendants while they are in the jockey room; (2) Keep the jockey room clean and safe for all jockeys; (3) E…

§ 305.13. Approval and licensing. The Commission, in its sole discretion, may determine the eligibility of a racetrack or Commission racing official and, in its sole discretion, may approve or disapprove any official for licensing.

STARTER § 305.131. General authority and duties. The Starter shall have complete jurisdiction over the starting gate, the starting of horses and the authority to give orders not in conflict with the rules as may be required to ensure all participants an equal opportunity to a fai…

§ 305.132. Use of starting gate. (a) A flat race shall be started out of a starting gate approved by the Commission. If the Starter or the Starter’s assistant is unable, after reasonable efforts, to place a horse in its assigned position in the gate for a satisfactory start, or i…

§ 305.133. Prohibited conduct. With respect to an official race, the assistant Starters shall not: (1) Handle or take charge of any horse in the starting gate without the expressed permission of the Starter; (2) Impede the start of a race; (3) Apply a whip or other device, except…

§ 305.134. Starter’s List. No horse shall be permitted to start in a race unless approval is given by the Starter. The Starter shall maintain a Starter’s List of all horses which are ineligible to be entered in any race because of poor or inconsistent behavior or performance in t…

§ 305.135. Report violations. The Starter and assistant Starter shall immediately report any false starts, impeded starts, unfair starts or any unauthorized activities to the Stewards.

§ 305.14. Prohibited practices. While serving in an official capacity, racing officials and their assistants shall not: (1) participate in the sale or purchase, or ownership of any horse actively racing at the meeting; (2) sell or solicit horse insurance on any horse racing at th…

§ 305.15. Reporting of violations. All racing officials and their assistants shall immediately report to the Stewards every observed or reported violation of these rules and of the laws of this Commonwealth governing racing.

TIMER/CLOCKER § 305.151. Duties of timers. (a) The timer shall accurately record the time elapsed between the start and finish of each race. (b) The time shall be recorded from the instant that the first horse leaves the point from which the distance is measured until the first h…

§ 305.152. Duties of clockers. (a) The clocker shall be present during training hours at each track on association grounds, which is open for training, to identify each horse working out and to accurately record the distances and times of each horse’s workout. (b) Each day, the c…

§ 305.16. Observations and notifications. A racing official shall immediately report to the Stewards any perceived issues with a horse based on the condition prior to the race which may significantly affect the running of the race. Upon notification to the Stewards, the Stewards …

§ 305.17. Appointment. (a) A person shall not be appointed to more than one racing official position at a meeting unless specifically approved by the Commission. (b) The Commission, the Bureau Director or other Commission representative shall appoint or approve the Stewards at ea…

PATROL JUDGE § 305.171. Powers and duties of patrol Judges. The patrol Judge, when utilized, is responsible for observing the race and reporting information concerning the race to the Stewards. If the track’s video replay system is deemed adequate, use of patrol Judges is optiona…

§ 305.18. Appointment of substitute officials. The licensed racing entity shall immediately notify the Stewards where an emergency vacancy exists among racetrack racing officials and shall fill the vacancy immediately. The appointment shall be reported to the Commission and shall…

PLACING JUDGE § 305.191. Duties. The placing Judges shall determine the order of finish in a race as the horses pass the finish line, and with the approval of the Stewards, may display the results on the totalisator board.

§ 305.192. Photo finish. (a) In the event the placing Judges or the Stewards request a photo of the finish, the photo finish sign shall be posted on the totalisator board. (b) Following their review of the photo finish, the placing Judges shall determine the exact order of finish…

§ 305.193. Dead heats. (a) In the event the placing Judges determine that two or more horses finished the race simultaneously and cannot be separated as to their order of finish, a dead heat shall be declared. (b) In the event one or more of the first four finishers of a race are…

§ 305.2. Prohibited conduct by racing officials. (a) A person may not offer and no racing official may accept, directly or indirectly, a gratuity, reward or favor in connection with racing at the meeting. (b) A racing official may not, directly or indirectly, for a commission, gr…

COMMISSION VETERINARIAN § 305.201. Qualifications. (a) The Commission Veterinarian shall: (1) Be employed by the Department as a Veterinary Medical Field Officer (VMFO) and appointed by the Commission to a racetrack under the jurisdiction of the Commission; (2) Have graduated fro…

§ 305.202. Duties and responsibilities of the Commission Veterinarian. (a) The Commission’s Veterinarian, among other things, shall: (1) Inform the Stewards that a horse has been deemed unsafe to race, or inhumane to allow to race and shall place that horse on the Veterinarian’s …

§ 305.203. Veterinarian’s List. The Commission Veterinarian shall maintain a list to be known as the Veterinarian’s List upon which the name of a horse which is considered unfit, unsound or not ready for racing shall be placed. The Veterinarian’s List shall be binding on all lice…

RACETRACK VETERINARIAN § 305.221. General authority and duties. (a) The racetrack track veterinarian may be present at the starting gate and may visually inspect each entrant. If, in the opinion of the racetrack veterinarian, prior to the starting gate dispatching the horses, a h…

§ 305.222. Outriders. (a) The Outriders shall make every effort to maintain the safety and orderly conduct of training and racing according to the rules, regulations and directives of the Commission, the Stewards and the licensed racing entity management. (b) The Outriders shall …

ENTRIES AND NOMINATIONS § 305.231. Entries. (a) No horse shall be qualified to start in a race unless it has been properly entered and its owner, trainer, or their authorized designee have been licensed by the Commission, and evidence of workers compensation insurance carried by …

§ 305.232. Procedure. (a) Entries and nominations shall be made with the racing secretary and shall not be considered until received by the racing secretary, who shall maintain a record of time of receipt of them for a period of 1 year. (b) An entry shall be in the name of the ho…

§ 305.233. Limitation as to spouses. No entry in any race shall be accepted for a horse owned wholly or in part by, or trained by, a person whose husband or wife is under license suspension at time of the entry, unless the non-suspended spouse can demonstrate, by horse records, f…

§ 305.234. Coupled entries. (a) The term ‘‘entry’’ means a horse made eligible to run in a race. When Starters in a race include two or more horses with common ownership, they shall be coupled as an entry. A wager on one horse in the entry shall be a wager on all horses in the en…

§ 305.235. Nominations. (a) Any nominator to a stakes race may transfer or declare the nomination prior to closing. (b) Joint nominations and entries may be made by any one of joint owners of a horse, and each owner shall be jointly and severally liable for all payments due. (c) …

§ 305.236. Closings. (a) Entries for purse races and nominations to stakes races shall close at the time designated by the licensed racing entity in previously published conditions for the races. This time may not be less than 48 hours prior to the time of the running of the race…

§ 305.237. Number of Starters in a race. The maximum number of Starters in any race shall be limited to the number of starting positions afforded by the association starting gate and its extensions. The number of Starters may be further limited by the number of horses which, in t…

§ 305.238. Split or divided races. In the event a race is cancelled or declared off, the licensed racing entity may split any overnight race for which post positions have not been drawn. Where an overnight race is split, forming two or more separate races, the racing secretary sh…

§ 305.239. Post positions. Post positions for all races shall be determined by lot and shall be publicly drawn in the presence of a Steward or Steward designee.