Title of Regulation: 11VAC10-50. Racing Officials (amending 11VAC10-50-50).

Statutory Authority: § 59.1-369 of the Code of Virginia.

Effective Date: October 19, 2016.

Agency Contact: David S. Lermond, Jr., Regulatory Coordinator, Virginia Racing Commission, 5707 Huntsman Road, Suite 201-B, Richmond, VA 23250, telephone (804) 966-7404, or email david.lermond@vrc.virginia.gov.

Summary:

The amendment gives the stewards the authority to allow for horses not to be saddled in the paddock when deemed necessary, mainly due to safety concerns. This rule change was recommended by the Virginia Racing Commission's Racing Safety and Medication Committee.

11VAC10-50-50. Paddock judge.

The licensee shall appoint a qualified person to act as the paddock judge for the race meeting. The paddock judge shall have general supervision of the paddock and among the duties of the paddock judge are:

1. Assuring that horses are in the paddock at the time appointed by the stewards and reporting to the stewards those horses which are late to the paddock;

2. Assembling the horses and jockeys in the paddock no later than 15 minutes before the scheduled post time for each race;

3. Keeping a record of all equipment carried by all horses in all races and permitting no change in equipment unless authorized by the stewards;

4. Inspecting the leg bandages worn by horses and ordering the bandages removed or replaced as deemed appropriate;

5. Supervising the schooling of horses in the paddock with the prior permission of the stewards;

6. Supervising the farrier assigned to the paddock to ensure that the plating of each horse in each race is examined, determining whether the horse is properly shod, and making changes deemed necessary;

7. Excluding from the paddock all those persons who have no immediate business with the horses entered in a race and reporting rule violations in the paddock area to the stewards;

8. Taking all measures to ensure that the saddling of all horses is orderly, open to public view unless permission to saddle horses elsewhere has been granted by the stewards, free from interference, and further assuring that the horses are mounted at the same time, and leave the paddock for the post parade in the proper sequence;

9. Permitting a horse to be excused from parading and instead permitting that the horse be led to the post, with the approval of the stewards;

10. Assuring that the horse displays the proper saddle cloth number and the jockey wears the proper number before leaving the paddock for the post parade;

11. Keeping a record of those horses accompanied to the post by pony riders; and

12. Checking out horses and drivers as they leave the paddock for warmups prior to racing and checking in their return to the paddock after the warmups for Standardbred race meetings.