1. REPORTING OF SIGNIFICANT VETERINARY ISSUES
Under the provisions of AR 140, trainers are required to report to Stewards any condition and/or occurrence which has or may effect the performance of a horse under his/her care:
AR 140
(a) A trainer of a horse that is included in the final acceptors for a race must ensure that such horse is fit and properly conditioned to race, and shall report to the Stewards as soon as practicable any condition or occurrence that may affect its running in the race.
(b) The owner and/or trainer and/or rider shall report to the Stewards as soon as practicable anything which might have affected the running of their horse in a race.
(c) Should anything which might have any bearing on the past or the future running of the horse come to the notice of the trainer after the horse has left the course, it must be reported as soon as practicable to the Stewards.
(d) Any loss or breakage of gear during a race, or any unusual happening in connection therewith, shall be reported by the owner and/or trainer and/or rider to the Stewards immediately after the race.
To assist trainers to identify and comply with what is required to be reported under the provisions of this Rule (particularly part c), the ARB has developed the following policy:
POLICY REGARDING THE MANDATORY REPORTING AND RELEASING OF SIGNIFICANT VETERINARY ISSUES IN ACCORDANCE WITH AR140 OF THE AUSTRALIAN RULES OF RACING.
(A NATIONAL POLICY DEVELOPED BY NEIWAG)
Effective 1st August 2011
The following are examples of, but not limited to, conditions or occurrences requiring notification to Stewards under the provisions of AR140:
· Any surgery aimed at correcting a condition that may have adversely impacted a horse’s prior performances e.g. upper respiratory tract surgery or surgery to correct lameness, limb inflammation/pain or gait dysfunction.
· A horse is required to have a long period of rest to heal an injury sustained in a race eg tendon/ligament strain.
· Lameness or musculoskeletal inflammation/pain.
· Injury to any part of the body which could potentially adversely impact on the horse’s performance or consist of a welfare or public perception issue on race day, or have resulted in an interrupted preparation.
· Any condition or occurrence that has resulted in a horse missing consecutive days of normal exercise or sufficiently interrupted, and thus adversely impacted, a horse’s preparation for its next race.
· Any systemic illness that has adversely impacted on a horse’s health or wellbeing or may have resulted in an interrupted preparation e.g. colic attack, any illness causing loss of appetite.
2. DECISION TO WITHDRAW A HORSE FROM A GROUP AND LISTED RACE
Under the provisions of AR 63, nominators are required to withdraw their horse from such race when the decision to not start has been made.
AR 63
The nominator of a horse for a Group or Listed Race who decides that his horse will not start in such race shall immediately after that decision is made withdraw the horse from the race concerned.
To assist the industry to disseminate this information accurately, nominators are requested to declare the reason for the withdrawal when such withdrawal is made. Such declaration need only be explained in a word or two and this information will then be relayed to the stewards who may release such information at their discretion.
