810 KAR 1:026. Racing associations.

810 KAR 1:026. Racing associations.

RELATES TO: KRS 230.215(2), 230.225(1), 230.260(3)

STATUTORY AUTHORITY: KRS 230.215(2), 230.225(1), 230.260(3), (6)

NECESSITY, FUNCTION, AND CONFORMITY: KRS 230.215(2), 230.225(1), and 230.260(3) require the authority to promulgate administrative regulations establishing conditions governing horse racing. This administrative regulation establishes the requirements for racing associations.

Section 1. Maintenance of Grounds, Facilities and Uniform Track. (1) The grounds and facilities of an association shall be maintained in a manner that provides for the:

(a) Comfort and safety of patrons, employees, and other persons whose business requires their attendance; and

(b) Health and safety of horses that are stabled, or exercise, or entered to race at the association.

(2) The grounds and facilities of an association shall be:

(a) Neat and clean;

(b) Painted; and

(3) An association shall have implements adequate to maintain a uniform track, weather conditions permitting.

Section 2. Results Boards, Totalizators Required. An association shall provide and maintain mechanically operated totalizators and electronic boards that show odds, results, and other race information located in plain view of patrons.

Section 3. Starting Gate. (1) An association shall provide and maintain a working starting gate on every day horses are permitted to exercise on its racing strip.

(2) An association shall have in attendance one (1) or more persons qualified to keep the starting gates in good working order whenever the gates are in use.

(3) An association shall provide for periodic inspections of the starting gates.

Section 4. Stabling. (1) An association barn and stall shall be:

(a) Constructed of fire-resistant material;

(b) Clean, sanitary, and equipped for adequate drainage; and

(2)(a) Prior to the opening of a race meeting, the racing authority shall submit to the racing secretary a list of locations of approved off-track stabling facilities from which horses shall be permitted to race.

(b) The locations shall be considered association grounds.

Section 5. Stands for Officials. (1) An association shall provide and maintain stands commanding an uninterrupted view of the entire racing strip for racing officials.

(2) The stands and their locations shall be approved by the authority.

(3) The floor of patrol judge stands shall be at least six (6) feet higher than the track rail.

Section 6. Distance Pole Markings. An association shall have:

(1) Red and white quarter poles;

(2) Green and white eighth poles; and

(3) Black and white 16th poles.

Section 7. Lighting. (1) An association shall provide and maintain flood lights that provide adequate illumination in the stable area and parking area.

(2) If an association conducts night racing, it shall provide adequate track lighting.

Section 8. Facilities for Stable Employees. (1) An association shall provide and maintain in good repair adequate living quarters and conveniently located sanitary facilities, which shall include showers, toilets, and wash basins for stable employees.

(2) Personnel shall not be permitted to sleep in a stall or barn loft.

Section 9. Facilities for Jockeys. (1) An association shall provide and maintain adequate facilities for jockeys scheduled to ride each day.

(2) The facilities shall include accommodations for rest and recreation of jockeys on racing days, showers, toilets, wash basins, mirrors, arrangements for safekeeping of apparel and personal effects, and snack bar.

Section 10. Facilities for Authority. (1) An association shall provide adequate office space for the authority on its grounds.

(2) An association shall provide the following to the authority:

(a) A season box, marked "Kentucky Racing Authority", of six (6) to eight (8) seats; and

(b) A number of parking places sufficient for the authority and authority staff.

(3) An association shall honor for access to preferred parking facilities and other areas on its grounds a authority or Association of Racing Commissioners International ring, lapel button, or automobile emblem.

Section 11. Sanitary Facilities for Patrons. An association shall, on every racing day, provide sanitary toilets and wash rooms, and free drinking water adequate for the number of patrons and persons having business at the association that comply with applicable statutes, administrative regulations, codes or ordinances.

Section 12. Manure Removal. (1) An association shall provide and maintain manure pits of the size and construction adequate to handle refuse from stalls.

(2) The contents of the manure pits shall be removed from the stable area as promptly as is possible.

Section 13. Photo Finish Cameras. (1) An association shall provide and maintain at the finish line two (2) photo finish cameras for photographing the finish of races.

(2) One (1) of the photo finish cameras shall be held in reserve. The photo finish photographer shall promptly furnish to the stewards and placing judges the number of prints of finishes requested.

(3) An association shall maintain a one (1) year file of all photo finishes.

Section 14. Patrol Films or Video Tapes. (1) During a race meeting, an association shall provide and maintain personnel and equipment necessary to record and produce motion pictures or video tapes that clearly record each race from start to finish.

(2) Projection or viewing equipment shall be adequate to permit simultaneous showing of head-on and side-angle views of the running of each race.

(3)(a) A film and video tape shall be:

1. Retained and secured by an association for at least one (1) year; and

2. Made available to the authority and stewards upon demand.

(b) Upon order of the stewards, a visual record of a race that has raised a question, dispute, or controversy shall be filed with the authority.

(4) Films and video tapes shall be made available:

(a) For viewing at the track by licensees who owned, trained, or rode a horse in the race requested to be viewed; and

(b) To members of the press.

Section 15. Ambulances. (1) An association shall provide and maintain at least one (1) man-ambulance and one (1) horse-ambulance whenever horses are permitted to exercise or race.

(2) An ambulance shall be:

(a) Equipped;

(b) Manned;

(d) Located at an entrance to the racing strip.

Section 16. (1) Except as provided by subsection (2) of this section, an association shall equip and maintain a first aid facility that is:

(a) Equipped with at least two (2) beds; and

(b) Attended by a licensed physician and registered nurse during race hours.

(2) An association shall not be required to maintain a first aid facility, if the association:

(a) Has an ambulance on standby on its premises during race hours; and

(b) Can transport an injured individual to a fully-equipped hospital emergency room in:

1. Five (5) minutes or less;

2. An ambulance manned by a certified paramedic and certified emergency medical technician.

(3) A paramedic provided pursuant to subsection (2) of this section shall be equipped with:

(a) Heart monitor and defibrillator;

(b) Cellular phone; and

Section 17. Track Kitchen. An association shall provide a track kitchen within the stable area, maintained in a clean and sanitary manner that complies with applicable statutes, administrative regulations, codes, or ordinances at all times horses are stabled on association grounds.

Section 18. Communication System. An association shall install and maintain in good working service a communication system between the stewards' stand and:

(1) Patrol judges;

(2) Parimutuel department;

(3) Starting gate;

(4) Public address announcer; and

(5) Clerk of the scales.

Section 19. Fire Prevention. (1) An association shall have a fire prevention and suppression program.

(2) The authority shall not approve the commencement of a race meeting, unless, within fifteen (15) days before commencement of the race meeting, the state or local fire marshall:

(a) Has inspected the association; and

(b) Certified that the association plant and stable area meets fire safety requirements.

(3) An association shall maintain a firefighting unit of trained personnel that has high-expansion foam fire extinguishers, and other equipment required by the local fire inspection authority.

(4) An association shall prohibit:

(a) Smoking in stalls, under shed rows, and in feed rooms;

(b) Open fires, oil or gas lamps in the stable area; and

Section 20. Association Security. (1) An association shall provide and maintain security services, night and day, in and about association grounds.

(2) An association shall furnish to the authority a report on any disturbances, drunkenness, or disorderly conduct committed by a person on association grounds.

Section 21. Security. (1) An association shall exclude from association grounds a person designated to be excluded by order of the authority or stewards.

(2) An association shall implement security measures to protect a horse on association ground from being injured by being frightened or tampered with.

(3) An association shall exclude from the paddock area, race strip, and winner's entrance a person who:

(a) Does not have an immediate connection with the horses entered; and

(b) Is not a authority member, racing official, or accredited member of the news media.

Section 22. Vendors and Suppliers. (1) A vendor shall comply with procedures and requirements established by an association.

(2) An association shall not attempt to control or monopolize sales to owners, trainers, or stable employees.

(3) An association shall not grant a concession to a vendor of feed, racing supplies, or racing services.

(4) A vendor of horse feeds or medications shall file with the authority veterinarian a list of products which he proposes to sell, including a new preparation or medication.

(5) An association shall not permit the sale of an alcoholic beverage except beer within the stable area.

Section 23. Ejection or Exclusion From Association Grounds. (1) An association shall for probable cause eject or exclude from association grounds a person:

(a) Believed to be engaged in:

1. A bookmaking activity; or

2. Solicitation of bets; or

3. Touting.

(b) An association shall immediately submit a report on the ejection or exclusion from association grounds of a person who engaged in activity prohibited by paragraph (a) of this subsection to the:

1. Authority;

2. Stewards; and

3. Police.

1. Accepted any thing of value to be wagered, or transmitted, or delivered for wager to a pari-mutuel wagering enterprise; or

2. Participated in the transaction; and

(d) Attempted to use tax exempt admissions credentials not issued to him by the association.

(2) An association shall eject or exclude from its stable area a person who is not:

(a) Licensed to conduct an activity which requires his presence in the stable area;

(b) An accredited member of the news media;

(d) Accompanied by, and under the control and supervision of a:

1. Racing official;

2. Association security guard; or

3. Association public relations department representative.

(3)(a) A report of an ejection or exclusion from association grounds for any reason shall be made immediately to the authority and the stewards.

(b) A report shall state the:

1. Name of person ejected or excluded;

2. Reasons for the ejection or exclusion; and

3. Facts relating to the ejection or exclusion.

Section 24. Ownership of Associations. An association shall file with the authority a revised list of persons whose identity is required by 810 KAR 1:025, Section 6(2), immediately upon transfer of a beneficial interest or control in the association.

Section 25. Plan of Association Grounds. (1) An association shall file with the authority maps and plans of association grounds, showing:

(a) Structures;

(b) Piping;

(d) Fixed equipment;

(e) Racing strip, noting elevation as filled, drained, and gapped; and

(f) Composition of track base and cushion.

(2) An association shall file revised maps or plans of association grounds upon any material change.

Section 26. Attendance Report and Badge List Report; Tax Exempt Credentials. (1) An association shall file with the authority a copy of the "Race Track Pari-mutuel and Admissions Report" required by KRS 137.180 and 138.480.

(2) A tax exempt admission credential shall not be transferable.

Section 27. Financial Report. Within sixty (60) days after the close of its fiscal year, an association shall file:

(1) Three (3) copies of its balance sheet; and

(2) A comparison to the prior year.

Section 28. Horseman's Account and Horseman's Bookkeeper. (1) An association shall maintain a bank account that shall:

(a) Be separate from its other accounts;

(b) Entitled "horsemen's account";

1. Purses;

2. Stakes;

3. Rewards;

4. Claims; and

5. Deposits.

(2) Withdrawals from the horsemen's account shall be subject to audit by the authority at any time.

(3)(a) Except as provided by paragraph (b) of this subsection, purse money shall be available to earners with forty-eight (48) hours, dark days excluded, after the result of the race in which the money was earned has been declared official.

(b) The stewards shall order money withheld until final adjudication of a dispute over which persons are entitled to money.

(4)(a) Except for jockey fees, a deduction from purse money shall not be made, unless the deduction has been requested in writing by the:

1. Person to whom purse money is payable; or

2. Authorized representative of the person to whom purse money is payable.

(b) Whether or not a deduction request is made, at the close of a race meeting, the horsemen's bookkeeper in charge of the horsemen's account shall mail to an owner a duplicate of each record of a deposit, withdrawal, or transfer of funds that affects his racing account.

(5) The horsemen's bookkeeper in charge of the horsemen's account shall be bonded.

Section 29. Outriders. (1) An association shall employ at least two (2) outriders.

(2) An outrider shall:

(a) Escort starters to the post; and

(b) Assist in the returning of all horses to the unsaddling area.

(3) An outrider shall:

(a) Only lead a horse that has demonstrated unruliness; and

(b) Assist in the control of a horse that might cause injury to a jockey or others.

(4) Whenever horses are permitted on the racing strip for exercising or racing, an outrider shall be:

(a) Present on the racing strip;

(b) Mounted; and

1. Control of an unruly horse; or

2. Recapture of a loose horse.

(5) When a person exercises a horse during training hours, or accompanies a horse to the starting gate during racing hours, he shall wear a protective helmet and a safety vest that meet the "Standard Specification for Protective Headgear Used in Horse Sports and Horseback Riding, January 10, 2000", and the "Standard Specification for Body Protectors Used in Horse Sports and Horseback Riding, November 1998" which are standards of the American Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM), F1163-00 and F1937-98, respectively.

Section 30. Valets. (1) An association shall employ a number of licensed valets sufficient to attend each rider on a day's racing program.

(2) A valet shall be under the immediate supervision and control of the clerk of scales.

(3) A rider shall not employ a valet or be attended by a person other than the valet assigned to him by the clerk of scales.

(4) A valet shall not be assigned to the same rider for more than two (2) consecutive racing days.

(5) A valet shall:

(a) Be responsible for the care and cleaning up of the apparel and equipment of his assigned rider;

(b) Ensure his rider has the proper equipment and colors for a race;

(d) Attend the weighing out of his rider.

(6) A valet or other jockey room attendant shall not place a wager, directly or indirectly, on races run while he serves as a valet for himself or another.

(7)(a) An association shall provide uniform attire for valets.

(b) A valet shall wear the attire provided by an association whenever he performs his duty within public view.

Section 31. Minimum Purse and Stakes Values. (1) An association shall not program or run any race for which the purse is less than $2,000 in cash, without special permission of the authority.

(2) An association shall not program or run a stakes race the added value of which is less than $10,000 in cash added by the association to stakes fees paid by owners.

(3) The minimum cash amounts paid by the association shall be exclusive of:

(a) Nomination;

(b) Eligibility;

(d) Starting fees;

(e) Cash awards;

(f) Premiums;

(g) Prizes; or

(h) Objects of value.

Section 32. Maximum Number of Races. An association shall not program or run more than nine (9) races on a racing day without permission of the authority.

Section 33. Two (2) Year Old Races. Beginning on March 1 of each year, an association shall program in the conditions book at least four (4) two (2) year old races each week.

Section 34. (1) Exculpatory clauses. Stall applications, entry forms, condition books, and other agreements between persons or entities licensed by the Kentucky Horse Racing Authority regarding the stabling of horses, the racing of horses, the training of horses or other activities at tracks owned or operated by licensed associations, and conditions of racing established by licensed associations, shall not contain provisions which absolve or hold harmless a licensee from liability, or limit the liability of a licensee, for loss, loss of use, injury or damage caused or contributed to by the acts or omissions of any licensee or its agents or employees, except for:

(a) Ordinary negligence which causes or contributes to loss, injury or damage to horses while on the premises of a licensed association; and

(b) Ordinary negligence which causes or contributes to personal injury or property damage, including loss, loss of use, injury or damage to horses arising from the use of grass fields or gallops owned or controlled by the licensed association. Subject to the above exceptions, all licensees participating in the stabling of horses, the racing of horses, the training of horses, and related activities at tracks owned or operated by licensed associations shall be responsible for their own acts and omissions and those of their agents and employees to the same extent as provided by law. A licensee shall not attempt to limit liability of any person or entity for gross negligence or intentional wrongdoing.

(2) Constructive notice to and consent of licensees. All persons licensed by the Kentucky Horse Racing Authority shall be deemed, as a condition of licensure, to have notice of and to have consented to exculpatory provisions, which comply with the limitations set forth in this administrative regulation, included in agreements between licensees and in conditions of racing established by a licensed association. Exculpatory provisions which exceed the limitations set forth in this administrative regulation shall be void and unenforceable in their entirety.

(3) Model provision. The following provision shall be deemed to comply with the limitations set forth in this administrative regulation: All Kentucky Horse Racing Authority licensees, including but not limited to the host association, owners, trainers, jockeys, and grooms ("licensees"), participating in stabling, racing, training, and related activities at (name of licensed association) recognize that hazards and risks inherent in these activities may cause the injury or death of horses. Therefore, in consideration of participating in stabling, racing, training, and related activities at (name of licensed association), all licensees assume the risks of, and release, hold harmless and covenant not to sue all other licensees so participating for:

(a) Ordinary negligence which causes or contributes to loss, loss of use, injury or damage to horses while on the premises of (name of licensed association); and

(b) Ordinary negligence which causes or contributes to personal injury or property damage, including but not limited to loss, loss of use, injury or damage to horses arising from the use of grass fields or gallops owned or controlled by (name of licensed association), whether arising from alleged acts or omissions of a licensee and its agents or employees, the condition of the premises of (name of licensed association) or any other cause. Except as provided above, all licensees participating in racing, training and related activities at (name of licensed association) shall be responsible for their own acts and omissions and those of their agents and employees to the same extent as provided by law.

Section 35. Material Incorporated by Reference. (1) The following material is incorporated by reference:

(a) "Standard Specification for Protective Headgear Used in Horse Sports and Horseback Riding, January 10, 2000";

(b) "Standard Specification for Body Protectors Used in Horse Sports and Horseback Riding, November 1998".

(2) This material may be inspected, copied, or obtained, subject to applicable copyright law, at the Kentucky Horse Racing Authority, 4063 Iron Works Parkway, Building B, Lexington, Kentucky, Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 4:30 a.m. (18 Ky.R. 3285; Am. 19 Ky.R. 403; eff. 8-1-92; 23 Ky.R. 1021; eff. 3-14-97; 24 Ky.R. 1779; 2698; eff. 6-15-98; 27 Ky.R. 1603; 2461; eff. 3-19-2001; TAm eff. 8-9-2007.)