Brenda Walker

The appellant, a standardbred licensee, appealed a three-day driving suspension and horse placement for bearing down and forcing another driver inside the pylons.

He also appealed a penalty for failing to appear at a scheduled hearing.

The Ontario Racing Commission denied the appeal regarding the driving infraction, upholding the suspension and placement.

The Commission also denied the appeal regarding the failure to appear but varied the penalty to a $500 fine, noting the appellant's partial efforts to cooperate.

The appellant, a standardbred licensee, appealed a 5-day suspension and $500 fine for failing to keep a line in each hand for the entire race, contrary to Rule 22.23.04 of the Rules of Standardbred Racing.

The Ontario Racing Commission allowed the appeal, finding that while the violation occurred, the driver was clearly celebrating a victory and did not intend to violate the rule.

Under Rule 22.23.05, the Commission determined that no penalty was warranted.

The appellant, a standardbred licensee, appealed a 3-day driving suspension for causing interference during a race.

At the scheduled hearing, the appellant requested an adjournment via telephone due to weather conditions and the unavailability of an out-of-province witness.

The Ontario Racing Commission granted the adjournment request and rescheduled the hearing.

The appellant, a standardbred licensee, appealed a ruling that downgraded his driving licence to a 'C' category, placed him on probation, and required anger management following an altercation with another licensee.

The Ontario Racing Commission denied the appeal, finding that the downgrade was appropriate to protect the safety of drivers and horses and the integrity of harness racing, given the appellant's record of driving violations.

The appellant, a standardbred trainer, appealed a judges' decision placing his horse sixth for a rule violation.

At the hearing, the horse's owner requested an adjournment because they had retained legal counsel who was unavailable for the scheduled date.

The Ontario Racing Commission granted the adjournment and rescheduled the hearing.

The appellant, a standardbred licensee, appealed a ruling that imposed a $1,000 fine and a three-day suspension for failing to attend a scheduled interview, as well as a separate three-day driving suspension.

The Ontario Racing Commission panel denied the appeal regarding the driving suspension, finding the appellant failed to ensure there was room and forced another horse into the pylons.

However, the panel varied the penalty for failing to attend the interview, reducing the fine to $500 due to mitigating circumstances.

The appellant, a standardbred licensee, appealed a decision of the Judges suspending him for 45 days and fining him $1,000 for maltreatment of a horse.

The horse was found with severe welts consistent with whipping.

The Ontario Racing Commission panel applied the balance of probabilities standard of proof and the reasonableness standard of review.

The panel found it reasonable to conclude the appellant caused the welts, given his history of temper and post-race whip use.

The appeal was denied, but the penalty was increased to a 90-day suspension (60 days stayed), a $1,500 fine, and mandatory anger management to serve as a stronger deterrent.

The appellants, a horse owner and a jockey, appealed the Stewards' rulings disqualifying their horse from first place and suspending the jockey for three days for alleged interference during a race.

The Ontario Racing Commission heard the appeal de novo.

Based on new video evidence and expert testimony, the Panel found that the jockey did not interfere with, intimidate, or impede any other horse, but merely moved into unoccupied space.

The Panel granted both appeals and restored the original order of finish.

The appellant, a thoroughbred licensee, appealed a Stewards' ruling that suspended him for 5 years and fined him $2,000 for failing to ensure proper care for horses.

The Ontario Racing Commission panel found that the appellant clearly violated the rules by failing to provide basic necessities of care, resulting in extreme and inhumane conditions for the horses.

The panel dismissed the appeal regarding the violations but varied the penalty, staying a portion of the suspension to allow the appellant to be eligible for a groom or hot walker's licence after a short full suspension, while maintaining the 5-year suspension for an owner or trainer's licence.

Georgian Downs and the Ontario Harness Horse Association appealed a decision of the Director of the Ontario Racing Commission denying a request to transfer $40,000 from the Georgian Downs purse account to pay for track maintenance.

The Commission dismissed the appeal, finding that the purse account funds are held in trust for the benefit of all horse people and that using them for track operational costs did not meet the required benefit threshold under the rules.

The Commission emphasized its fiduciary duty to protect the public interest and the integrity of the purse account.

The appellant, a standardbred licensee, appealed a ruling that placed his horse from 1st to 4th for causing interference to another horse during a race.

The Ontario Racing Commission reviewed the race film and heard testimony.

The Commission found that the appellant's horse impeded the progress of another horse, violating Rule 22.05.01 of the Rules of Standardbred Racing.

The appeal was dismissed and the placement penalty was upheld.

The licensee, a standardbred driver and trainer, tested positive for cocaine in a follow-up urine sample, violating a previous post-violation agreement.

He applied for a hearing for reinstatement after serving a 29-day suspension.

The Ontario Racing Commission found that the licensee violated the rules of racing and his agreement.

Recognizing his substance abuse problem and ongoing treatment, the Commission ordered his licenses reinstated subject to a 15-month post-violation agreement, mandatory substance abuse treatment, random testing, and a $500 fine that was stayed pending successful completion of the agreement.

The appellant, a standardbred licensee, appealed a ruling that fined him $100 and placed his horse from 1st to 2nd for driving inside a pylon in the stretch and gaining an unfair advantage.

The Ontario Racing Commission reviewed the evidence, including video tapes and witness testimony, and denied the appeal, upholding the original ruling.

The appellant, a standardbred licensee, appealed a 15-day driving suspension and $500 fine imposed by the Judges for a driving violation under the Standardbred Rules of Racing.

The Ontario Racing Commission convened a hearing to review the matter.

After reviewing the evidence and hearing testimony, the Commission denied the appeal and ordered the appellant to serve the suspension and pay the fine.

The appellant, a standardbred licensee, appealed a ruling by the Judges that fined him $200 for a violation of the Rules of Standardbred Racing while driving a horse.

The Ontario Racing Commission heard the appeal and reviewed video evidence and live testimony from the Judges.

The Commission dismissed the appeal, relying on the live visual statements from the Judges who witnessed the violation.

The $200 fine was upheld.

The appellant, a standardbred licensee, appealed a $200 fine issued by the Judges for a driving violation prior to a race.

The Ontario Racing Commission heard the appeal and reviewed video evidence and live testimony from the Judges.

The Commission denied the appeal and upheld the $200 fine, finding that the visual statements from the Judges corroborated the violation.

The appellant, a standardbred licensee, appealed a 3-day driving suspension issued by the Judges for violating ORC Rule 22.05.01(a) by interfering with another driver during a race.

The Ontario Racing Commission panel reviewed the video evidence and found that the appellant did interfere with the other driver.

The appeal was denied and the 3-day suspension was upheld.

The appellant, an official clocker, appealed a 30-day suspension imposed by the Stewards for allegedly altering a workout time to make a horse eligible to race.

The Ontario Racing Commission panel found that the appellant corrected a timing error in good faith, consistent with established clocking protocols, and without knowledge of the horse's eligibility requirements.

The panel concluded there was no evidence of an integrity breach or willful wrongdoing.

The appeal was allowed and the suspension rescinded.

The appellant, a standardbred driver, appealed a $500 fine and three-day suspension for a fourth offence of indiscriminate whip use under Rule 22.22.

The Ontario Racing Commission panel upheld the finding of the rule violation, noting evidence of the whip being used between the horse's legs.

However, the panel found an administrative error in calculating the number of prior offences and varied the penalty to a $500 fine for a third offence.

The appellant, a standardbred driver, appealed a $100 fine for failing to keep his feet in the stirrups during a race, contrary to Rule 22.19 of the Rules of Standardbred Racing.

The Ontario Racing Commission panel reviewed the video evidence, which clearly showed the appellant's foot out of the stirrup and hitting the horse's hock.

The panel dismissed the appeal, finding that the rule's intent is to ensure safety and prevent drivers from using their feet to strike the horse.

As the appellant offered no new evidence after three hearings, the panel deemed the appeal frivolous and ordered him to pay $750 pursuant to subsection 11(8) of the Racing Commission Act.