Current through Register Vol. 54, No. 44, November 2, 2024
Section 305.285 - Post to finish(a) In addition to the duties and responsibilities of the starter as set forth in this chapter, the starter is responsible for ensuring that each participant in every race receives a fair and appropriate start. If the Stewards suspect a false start has occurred, they shall post the inquiry sign and may disqualify the horse(s), declare it a non-starter, or take no action.(b) If, when the starter dispatches the field, any door at the front of the starting gate stalls should not open properly due to a mechanical failure or malfunction or should any action by any starting personnel directly cause a horse to receive an unfair start, the Stewards may declare this horse a non-starter.(c) If a horse is not in the starting gate stall at the time the field is dispatched by the starter thereby causing it to be left out, the horse shall be declared a non-starter by the Stewards.(d) Should an accident or malfunction of the starting gate, or other unforeseeable event compromise the fairness of the race or the safety of race participants, the Stewards may declare individual horses to be non-starters, exclude individual horses from all pari-mutuel pools or declare the race a "no contest."