Jane Garthson

The Ontario Racing Commission held a teleconference to review 2005 race date applications.

After reviewing submissions, the Commission declined to approve the revised 2005 race date application from Windsor Raceway Inc. for Windsor Raceway.

The Ontario Racing Commission held a teleconference to review the revised 2005 race date application from the applicant for Woodstock Raceway.

The Commission approved 25 live standardbred race dates and 364 intertrack dates, with all post times approved as applied for.

The Ontario Racing Commission met to review race date applications for the 2005 season.

After reviewing written submissions, the Commission approved the live standardbred race dates and intertrack/simulcast dates for Sudbury Downs Raceway, Quinte Exhibition & Raceway, New Hiawatha Horse Park, and Western Fair Raceway.

All post times were approved as applied for.

Macranald Enterprises Inc. applied for 54 live race dates for Sudbury Downs Raceway for the 2005 season, representing a significant reduction from previous years.

The Northern Horseman's Association opposed the reduction.

The Ontario Racing Commission found that the track did not satisfactorily justify the reduction in live race dates.

The Commission noted that live racing enhances simulcast and slot revenues, and that reducing race days would limit opportunities for horsemen and supporting businesses.

The Commission declined to approve the application and encouraged the track to file an amended application consistent with the slots program's aims.

Woodbine Entertainment Group applied for 2005 Thoroughbred race dates.

The Horsemen's Benevolent and Protective Association requested the Commission mandate a ship-in date of no later than February 15, 2005, to allow 60 days for training.

The Commission approved the race dates as applied for, declining to intervene in the ship-in date dispute, finding it was a matter for negotiation between the parties rather than regulatory determination.

The Ontario Racing Commission met to review applications for the 2005 live and intertrack race dates.

The Commission approved the requested live standardbred, live thoroughbred, and intertrack/simulcast race dates for various racetracks across Ontario, along with all applied-for post times.

The appellants, thoroughbred owners, appealed a Stewards' Ruling that disqualified their horse from a first-place finish because they were unlicensed at the time of the race.

The Ontario Racing Commission allowed the appeal in part, quashing the disqualification and restoring the original order of finish so purse monies could be distributed.

However, the Commission fined each appellant $5,000 and placed their licences on probation until the fines were paid.

The appellant trainer appealed a decision of the Stewards fining and suspending him after his horse tested positive for a prohibited substance, and for failing to maintain adequate medication records.

The Ontario Racing Commission allowed the appeal, finding that the trainer had established on a balance of probabilities that he took all reasonable care to protect the horse, and that the positive test likely resulted from an error by the treating veterinary hospital.

The Commission also found that the trainer's delegation of record-keeping to staff and reliance on hospital records satisfied the rules.

The fines and suspension were quashed, though the horse's disqualification remained.

Winrac Developments Inc. applied to the Ontario Racing Commission to vary the 2004 Race Day schedule for Woodstock Raceway and to amend the 2004 Backstretch Improvement Plan regarding the paddock.

The Commission approved the amended business plan and reconfirmed the race date schedule on consent.

The Commission also ordered that the Stakes barn floor be properly covered to ensure safety prior to May 28, 2004, and warned of severe penalties for failure to comply with the amended business plan.