Section 1314.10  Number of Races (Repealed)

(Source:  Repealed at 16 Ill. Reg. 8229, effective May 19, 1992)

Section 1314.20  Extra Races

No additional races on a racing date will be permitted without the written approval of the Executive Director, and subject to conditions by the Board.

(Source:  Amended at 30 Ill. Reg. 10467, effective June 1, 2006)

Section 1314.30  Postponement of Races

No racing shall be conducted by any race track operator over any track which is dangerous to drivers or horses competing thereon. If at any time inclement weather or other conditions appear to make the track unsafe, representatives of management and the horsemen shall meet to determine whether or not racing shall be conducted. If a difference of opinion exists, the decision of the state steward shall be final.

Section 1314.40  Postponement Procedure

a)         Early closing races, stakes and futurities shall be postponed to a definite hour the next fair day and good track.

b)         Any late closing race, early closing race, stake or futurity (except as provided in subparagraph c below) that cannot be raced during the scheduled meeting shall be declared off and the entrance money and forfeits shall be divided equally among the nominators who have horses declared in and eligible to start.

c)         Unless otherwise provided in the conditions, in order to transfer stakes and futurities to another meeting, unanimous consent must be obtained from the track and from all those having eligibles in the event.

d)         Overnight events may be postponed and carried over not to exceed two racing days.

e)         At the option of management, any postponed races may be contested in single mile dashes. Where races are postponed under this rule, management shall have the privilege of selecting the order in which the events will be raced in any combined program.

f)         Any stake or futurity that has been started and remains unfinished on the last day of the scheduled meeting shall be declared ended and the full purse divided according to the summary except where the Board allows the track to extend the meeting to complete the race.

Section 1314.50  Post Time

Post time for the first race of the program may be fixed by the race track operator. If post time must be delayed, the operator must receive approval of the delay from the Stewards.

(Source:  Amended at 30 Ill. Reg. 10467, effective June 1, 2006)

Section 1314.60  Head Numbers

Each competing horse shall be equipped with numbers of style, type and design approved by the state steward. Numbers shall be arranged so that coupled horses may be distinguished as such, and that horses coupled in the field may be distinguished as such.

Section 1314.70  License Display

During the course of its race meetings, each licensed race track operator shall display the license issued by the Board for the current year.

Section 1314.80  Bonafide Contests

All races shall be bonafide contests with the winner receiving the largest share of the purse and the balance of the purse distribution made according to the order of finish. No hippodroming or other arrangement for equal distribution of the purse money among the contestants is permitted. Violation of this rule will subject the track officials in charge and the owners and drivers to fine, suspension and/or expulsion.

Section 1314.90  Payment Default

Any track that defaults in the payment of a premium that has been raced for, shall, after a hearing before the Board, stand suspended, together with its officers. No deduction, voluntary or involuntary, may be made from any purse or stake or futurity other than for payments to be made to the owners, nominators, or breeders of money winning horses and organization or promotion expenses stipulated for stakes and futurities.

Section 1314.110  Liability for Promoters

If at a meeting of a licensed track, a race is contested which has been promoted by another party or parties, and the promoters thereof default in the payment of the amount raced for, the same liability shall attach to the licensed track as if the race had been offered by such licensed track.

Section 1314.120  Bad Checks

If track pays any purse by check, which upon presentation is dishonored, the matter shall immediately be referred to the Board for disposition.

Section 1314.130  Advertised Purse

When any track advertises minimum purses and conducts any race for less than said advertised minimum, unless previously sanctioned by the Illinois Racing Board, such track shall be fined the difference between the advertised minimum and the lesser purse for which such race was conducted and the proceeds of such fine may be distributed among the money winning horses in proportion to their respective winnings.

Section 1314.140  Advertising and Awards

Except as herein stated, no track shall advertise to pay or pay any awards other than to owners, nominators, or breeders of money winning horses. Awards may be made to drivers of horses breaking or equalling track or world records, or to leading drivers at meetings.

Section 1314.150  Allocation of Stalls

a)         No race track operator shall allocate stalls except pursuant to a written stall application and agreement, the form of which shall have been approved by the Board. The racing secretary shall be responsible for stall allocation unless some other official is substituted by the race track operator to perform that function and the Board notified of the substitution.

b)         Notification

1)         The racing secretary shall give each applicant written notice specifying whether an application, with respect to each stall requested, has been accepted, denied, or placed in a pending status. The notice shall be given not later than five days prior to the start of the meeting or ten days after receipt of the stall application, whichever occurs last.

2)         Within ten days after initial notification is required by this Section, final action shall be taken and written notice given with respect to any stall application originally placed, in whole or in part, in a pending status.

c)         The racing secretary's view of the best interests of racing and of the meeting in question shall govern his action on stall applications, and he shall be allowed broad discretion in performing this function. Nevertheless:

1)         No action on a stall application shall be based upon –

A)        the race, color, creed, religion, national origin or sex of the applicant, or

B)        an arbitrary or capricious decision, or a decision not related to any reasonable view of the best interests of racing or of the meeting in question.

2)         No stall allocation shall be conditioned upon the payment, transfer or delivery to the racing secretary, or to any other person designated by him, of any money, property or other thing of value or upon the applicant's promise to make payment, transfer or delivery.

d)         Any owner, trainer or other person believing himself to be aggrieved by a violation of this Section may file a written complaint with the Board, which shall conduct a hearing with respect to the alleged violation. If the Board determines that such a violation has occurred, it may impose a fine upon the race track operator not to exceed $500 for each violation, may order that stalls be allocated to the complainant and may take other action as it deems appropriate. In order to facilitate the conduct of inquiries into alleged violations of this Section, the racing secretary shall cause all stall applications, stall agreements, correspondence and other related material to be retained until the close of the meeting or for a longer period as the Board may direct.

e)         In passing upon stall applications that are of substantially equal merit, the racing secretary shall give preference to applications submitted with respect to horses owned by Illinois residents.

f)         Acceptance of an application for stall space for any horse shall be conditioned upon proof of a negative Coggins test for equine infectious anemia.

(Source:  Amended at 30 Ill. Reg. 10467, effective June 1, 2006)

Section 1314.160  Paddock and Receiving Barn

a)         Every extended pari-mutuel track shall provide a paddock and a receiving barn.

b)         The paddock and receiving barn must be completely enclosed with a man-tight fence and all openings through said fence shall be policed so as to exclude unauthorized personnel therefrom.

c)         During racing hours, each track shall provide suitable extra equipment as may be necessary for the conduct of racing without unnecessary delay.

d)         During racing hours, each track shall provide the services of a blacksmith within the paddock.

e)         Each track shall see that the provisions of this rule are rigidly enforced and the Board may impose a fine not to exceed $500 for each violation of this rule.

Section 1314.170  Photofinish and Starting Gate

a)         At all tracks a photo finish and starting gate must be used. Whenever the judges use a photo to determine the order of finish, it shall be posted for public inspection during that same racing program. Photo finish equipment shall be approved by the Stewards.

b)         The State Steward and association Steward shall review all photo finishes and confirm or correct the decision of the placing judges before a race is declared official.

(Source:  Amended at 30 Ill. Reg. 10467, effective June 1, 2006)

Section 1314.180  Driver Insurance

Each track shall prepare and prominently display in the racing secretary's office, a statement giving the name of the company with which it carries driver insurance.

Section 1314.190  Interference with Officials

Although track operators have the obligation of general supervision of their meetings, interference with the proper performance of duties of any official is hereby prohibited.

Section 1314.200  Film Recordings

a)         All race track operators shall take and make at their own expense a complete recording of all races run. The number and location of recording stations, the type of equipment used, and the quality of the image must be satisfactory to the state steward. The state steward shall certify to the Board, three days prior to the opening of any meeting, in writing, that he approved the recording system, and believes it to be adequate. No system shall be so certified unless it can deliver the recording of the race within two minutes of the finish of that race.

b)         These recordings shall be under the control of the state steward and shall not be shown to other persons without his permission. The race track operator shall hold all recordings from one year from the final date of the race meeting at which they are made. Race track operators shall hold for five years, all recordings in which there are infractions or claims of foul and such other recordings as the state steward shall designate.

c)         In order to educate and protect the drivers, race track operators shall provide facilities where recordings may be shown to the drivers.

Section 1314.210  Penalty for Violation of Rules

Any race track operator who violates any provision of the Rules and Regulations of Harness Racing or of the Illinois Horse Racing Act of 1975 may be fined no more than $5000 for each such violation and/or may have said operator's license to conduct a harness racing meeting suspended or revoked.

(Source:  Added August 8, 1973)

Section 1314.220  Stall Availability

a)         That applicant for racing dates which is allotted the first meeting for the harness racing season in any year within Cook County, as a condition to its receiving its license to conduct a racing meeting, shall make available to horsemen and their horses the backstretch and racing surface facilities at the race track at which such first meeting is to be conducted no less than three weeks prior to the commencement of such first meeting.

b)         That applicant for racing dates which is allotted the first meeting for the harness racing season in any year at a race track more than 150 miles from Cook County, as a condition to its receiving its license to conduct a racing meeting, shall make available to horsemen and their horses the backstretch and racing surface facilities at the race track at which such first meeting is to be conducted no less than six weeks prior to the commencement of such first meeting.

(Source:  Added March 15, 1974; filed March 22, 1974)

Section 1314.230  Limitation on Purse Reductions

a)         No purse for any race may be reduced after said purse has been advertised, published, or reflected in the conditions unless notice of said reduction is promptly given to the state steward, promptly posted on the public bulletin board in the racing secretary's office for the inspection of owners, trainers, and the public, and listed in the "overnight sheets".

b)         No purse for any race may be reduced after the first entry is made for any such race.

(Source:  Added August 21, 1976; filed August 30, 1976)