The Australian Racing Board (ARB) has released a number of Amendments to Australian Rules of Racing, effective from 1 February 2015.
I encourage Members to take the time to review these Amendments.
A summary is of each of the Amendments is provided below. To view the Amendments in full, please click on the relevant links.
Amendment to Australian Rules of Racing - AR.64G and AR.196(5)
Summary
AR.64G makes it an offence to stomach-tube, attempt to stomach-tube, cause to be stomach-tubed or to be a party to the stomach-tubing of a horse on race day (prior to a race), or during the one clear day prior to the day of the race.
The ARB Board decided that AR.64G should be amended to include an offence for being a party to an attempted stomach-tubing.
The ARB Board decided that AR.196(5) be amended consequentially.
Amendment to Australian Rules of Racing - AR.182 and AR.183F
Summary
This matter involves two issues:
1. Further restrictions on disqualified persons; and
2. The extension of restrictions in respect of disqualified and suspended persons.
Amendment to Australian Rules of Racing - AR.196(1) and AR.196(2)
Summary
AR.196(1) and (2) prescribe upper monetary limits of $75,000 for:
a) the imposition of fines for any breach of the Rules; and
b) the forfeiture of a rider’s percentage of prize money for a breach of AR.137A (whip offences).
The ARB Board believes it is necessary for the scope of financial penalties to remain an effective deterrent. Whilst the upper limit of monetary penalties is not often reached, the Rules need to remain relevant and this includes the upper limit which may be imposed as monetary penalty.
The ARB therefore decided to raise the relevant monetary limits in AR.196(1) and (2) for fines (or forfeitures for AR.196(2)) from $75,000 to an amount not exceeding $100,000.
Amendment to Australian Rules of Racing - AR.196(4)
Summary
Pursuant to AR.196(4), the current rules allow the operation of a penalty to be suspended for a period not exceeding 12 months.
An extension of the period of time for which a penalty may be suspended from 12 months to two years has been supported by Stewards.
The ARB Board considers it appropriate and desirable to introduce this reform and to give racing authorities scope to impose penalties with sufficient deterrent effect. The ARB therefore decided that AR.196(4) be amended to extend the period for which the operation of a penalty may be suspended from 12 months to two years.
Amendment to Australian Rules of Racing - AR.177C and AR.178G
Summary
Racing authorities have recognized a phenomenon of elevated testosterone levels in excess of the threshold for testosterone in AR.178C(1)(g)(i) in race day urine samples arising from unusual endogenous adrenal gland production in certain geldings. These findings were repeatable in the affected individuals. Subsequently, new AR’s 177C and 178G were introduced to deal with the consequences of these unusual findings in the affected geldings.
More recently, a similar issue has been identified in a very small number of female thoroughbreds, again a repeatable phenomenon in the affected individuals.
As for geldings, there is the need to address the consequences of atypical endogenous elevations in affected female racehorses in terms of the disqualification of the horse and the culpability of the trainer.
Therefore, the ARB Board has decided that ARs 177C and 178G be amended to include provision for atypical endogenous testosterone production in female horses leading to elevations in urinary testosterone concentrations in excess of the threshold specified in AR.178C(1)(g)(ii).
