Section 1309.10  Eligibility Certificate

a)         No horse shall be declared in without first possessing a current United States Trotting Association or CTA (Canadian Trotting Association) eligibility certificate at the gait the horse is declared to race. Horse owners violating this rule shall be fined $10. The track shall be fined $5 for accepting a declaration without an eligibility certificate.

b)         Telegraphic declarations may be sent and accepted without penalty provided the declarer furnishes adequate program information. The eligibility certificate, however, must be presented when the horse arrives at the track and before he races.

Section 1309.20  Registration

All matters relating to registration of standardbred horses shall be governed by the rules of the United States Trotting Association.

Section 1309.30  Leased Horses

Any horse under lease must race in the name of the lessee. No eligibility certificate will be issued to a horse under lease unless a copy of the lease is filed with the United States Trotting Association. Persons violating this rule may be fined, suspended or expelled.

Section 1309.40  Sale or Lease During Current Year

When a horse is sold or leased after an eligibility certificate is issued for the current year, the new owner or lessee may use that certificate if endorsed to him by the United States Trotting Association. If the certificate is not endorsed to the new owner or lessee, he must apply for a new eligibility certificate.

Section 1309.50  Tampering With Eligibility Certificate

Persons tampering with eligibility certificates may be fined, suspended or expelled and any winnings after such tampering may be ordered forfeited.

Section 1309.60  Corrections on Eligibility Certificates

Corrections on eligibility certificates may be made only by a licensed official or a representative of the United States Trotting Association. Persons making corrections shall affix their name and the date to the certificate.

Section 1309.70  Loss or Destruction of Certificate

In the event of loss or destruction of an eligibility certificate, a replacement certificate must be secured from the United States Trotting Association.

Section 1309.80  Time Bars Prohibited

No time bars or records shall be used as an element of eligibility in the setting of race conditions. The only use may be for the purposes of establishing qualifying standards.

Section 1309.90  Racing Secretary Shall Prescribe Conditions

The racing secretary shall prescribe standards to determine whether a horse is qualified to race in overnight events at a meeting.

Section 1309.100  Conflicting Conditions

In the event there are conflicting published conditions, the more favorable to the nominator shall govern.

Section 1309.110  Condition Books

Condition books will be prepared by the racing secretary. Such books shall contain at least three days racing programs and be available to horsemen at least 24 hours prior to closing declarations on any race.

Section 1309.120  Races to be Offered

In presenting a program of racing, the racing secretary shall use exclusively the following types of races: stakes and futurities, early closing and late closing events, conditioned, claiming and invitational races.

Section 1309.130  Invitational Races

a)         Invitational races are limited to the fastest horses at the meeting. These may be Free For All races, Junior Free for All, or Invitationals. Horses to be used in such races shall be posted in the racing secretary's office at least 24 hours prior to the time of closing. Horses so listed shall not be eligible for conditioned overnight races unless the conditions specifically include horses on the invitational list. Purses offered for such races shall be at least 15 per cent higher than the highest purse offered for a conditioned race programmed the same racing week for horses of equivalent age and sex.

b)         No two year, three year or four year old will be eligible to be placed on the invitational list to race against older horses until it has won a lifetime total of $15,000 and five races, unless requested by the owner or an authorized agent. Such request may be withdrawn at any time by the owner or agent and said horse returned to conditioned racing.

c)         Where a meeting is in progress in December and continues in January of the subsequent year, races and earnings won at that meeting may be computed in determining whether a horse may be placed on the invitational list.

Section 1309.140  Rejection of Declarations

The racing secretary may reject the declaration on any horse whose eligibility certificate was not in his possession on the date the condition book was published. The racing secretary may reject the declaration on any horse whose past performance indicated that he would be below the competitive level of other horses declared, provided the rejection does not result in a race being cancelled.

Section 1309.150  Eligibles Posted

Names of all horses at the track eligible to race in conditioned races shall be posted by gait in the declaration room, together with all the pertinent information concerning such horse that may be required to determine eligibility of such horse to conditioned races offered at the track.

Section 1309.160  AGID (Coggins) Test (Repealed)

(Source:  Repealed at 31 Ill. Reg. 16515, effective December 1, 2007)