John Macdonald

The appellants appealed a ruling that suspended the jockey for three racing days and placed their horse 5th instead of 1st due to interference.

The Ontario Racing Commission found that while the jockey did not commit a deliberate foul, he did not have a clear path and caused interference that resulted in another horse clipping heels.

The appeal was denied, but the suspension was reduced from three days to one day.

The appellant appealed a ruling regarding a Class 2 drug positive and sought a stay of her suspension pending the hearing of the appeal.

The Commission applied the three-part test for a stay, finding a serious mitigating factor in the appellant's lack of previous positives and evidence suggesting a former owner may have administered the drug.

The Commission granted a conditional stay of the suspension, provided the matter is heard on or before January 15th.

The appellant, a horse trainer, appealed a ruling by the Ontario Racing Commission Stewards suspending him for 6 months and fining him $5,000 after his horse tested positive for Acepromazine following a race.

The appellant argued a due diligence defence and relied on a split sample retest showing low concentration levels.

The Panel denied the appeal, finding that the appellant failed to follow the CPMA guidelines regarding dosage and frequency, ignored warnings about the drug lingering in the horse's system, and used unlicensed compounded medications.

The Panel upheld the penalty as the minimum under the guidelines for a second offence.

The appellant appealed against Ruling Number SB 45049 regarding a positive test resulting from an electrolyte administration.

The Ontario Racing Commission denied the appeal but varied the penalty, staying $1,000 of the fine and imposing a two-year probation period.

The panel noted mitigating factors, including no attempt to affect performance, the appellant's previous good record, and his cooperation with the Commission.

The appellant appealed against Ruling Number SB 45550.

At the hearing, the appellant requested to withdraw his appeal.

The Ontario Racing Commission panel allowed the withdrawal, subject to the appellant paying $175.00 in costs to the Administration for preparation work.

The Northern Horsemen's Association appealed the Ontario Racing Commission's decision to allocate 20 live race dates for Sudbury Downs in 2013, down from 60 days in 2012.

The appellant sought 30 race dates and requested that purse funds be used for track operations.

The Panel dismissed the appeal, finding no cogent and compelling evidence to deviate from the Ontario Racing Program principles.

The Panel held that the new economics of horse racing, including the cancellation of the Slots at Racetrack Program, necessitated the reduction, and that purse funds must be protected for purses in the best interests of racing.

The appellant, a licensed standardbred trainer, appealed a penalty imposed by track judges after two horses he trained tested positive for the Class II drug O-Desmethylvenlafaxine.

The appellant admitted the positive tests but argued he was not responsible and had exercised due diligence.

The Ontario Racing Commission panel found the appellant failed to meet the standard of care required by the trainer responsibility rule, noting he took no action despite observing symptoms in the horses and suspecting tampering.

The appeal was denied, and the original penalty of a $7,500 fine, a two-year suspension, and two years of probation was confirmed.

The appellant, a thoroughbred licensee, appealed a ruling imposing a 60-day suspension, a $1,500 fine, and a two-year probation for a positive drug test for Acepromazine.

The appellant initially requested a stay, which was denied, and appealed the denial before withdrawing that appeal.

The Ontario Racing Commission allowed the withdrawal and ordered the appellant to pay $575 in costs.

Subsequently, the Commission heard the main appeal and approved an Agreed Statement of Facts and Joint Submission on Disposition.

The appellant, a thoroughbred licensee, appealed the Director's decision declining to suspend another licensee for financial irresponsibility.

The appellant subsequently withdrew her appeal.

The Ontario Racing Commission allowed the withdrawal and ordered the appellant to pay $2,124.20 in costs to the Administration of the ORC, finding that while the appeal was not frivolous, the costs requested were reasonable under Policy Directive No. 3-2010.

The appellant, a thoroughbred licensee, was suspended and fined by the Stewards for a positive drug test.

He appealed and requested a stay, which was denied.

He then appealed the denial of the stay but subsequently sought to withdraw that appeal.

The Ontario Racing Commission allowed the withdrawal of the appeal and ordered the appellant to pay $400 in costs to the Administration.

The appellant, a standardbred licensee and trainer, appealed an official ruling that placed his horse from 4th to 6th position for causing interference while off stride.

The Ontario Racing Commission panel found that the horse failed to lose ground and impeded another horse.

The panel deferred to the judges' opinion that the interference affected the outcome of the race for the other placings.

The appeal was denied and the placing stood.

The licensee appealed a $1,000 fine and 15-day suspension imposed for violating rules regarding unlabelled drugs and a probation order.

At the hearing, the licensee's agent withdrew the appeal.

The Panel accepted the withdrawal, revived the original penalty, and awarded $500 in costs to the Administration of the Ontario Racing Commission due to the late withdrawal.

The appellant, a standardbred licensee, appealed a $500 fine and a 15-day driving suspension imposed by the Judges.

On the scheduled hearing date, the appellant was unable to attend due to injuries suffered in a racing accident the previous day.

The Ontario Racing Commission granted an adjournment sine die to a date to be determined.

The appellant, a thoroughbred jockey, appealed a three-day suspension imposed by the Stewards for causing interference with another horse shortly after the start of a race.

The Ontario Racing Commission panel reviewed the video evidence and heard testimony, concluding that the appellant failed to control his horse and caused interference.

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

The appellant, a thoroughbred licensee, appealed a three-day riding suspension issued by the Stewards for causing interference during a race.

The appellant failed to appear at the hearing before the Ontario Racing Commission.

The appeal was denied due to the appellant's non-appearance.

The Commission ordered that the appellant must appear before the Stewards before being re-licensed in Ontario and must serve his three-day suspension at that time.

The appellant, a standardbred licensee, appealed a three-day driving suspension imposed by the Judges for causing interference during a race.

The Ontario Racing Commission held a hearing de novo and reviewed video evidence and witness testimony.

The Commission found that the appellant came out late and caused interference, prompting another driver to pull over and go behind him.

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

The licensee appealed a $300 fine and 10-day driving suspension for leaving a welt on a horse due to his urging actions.

The Ontario Racing Commission denied the appeal, finding the evidence supported the violation.

The Commission also found the appeal to be frivolous, increasing the penalty to a $500 fine and a 12-day suspension.

The appellants appealed a Thoroughbred Official Ruling that imposed a three-day riding suspension on the jockey for interference and changed the horse's order of finish from 1st to 4th.

The Ontario Racing Commission upheld the three-day suspension, finding that the jockey's horse did come over and cause interference.

However, the Commission revised the order of finish for the top four horses, finding that another horse also caused interference.

The licensee appealed a $200 fine issued by the Judges for failing to come into position on the starting gate with his horse.

At the hearing, the licensee requested to withdraw his appeal.

The panel granted the request to withdraw, confirming that the original $200 fine stands, and assessed no costs.

The applicant, a licensed driver/trainer/owner, applied for a reinstatement hearing after being immediately suspended by the Executive Director of the Ontario Racing Commission.

The Commission accepted a Joint Submission on Disposition, ordering the applicant to provide documentation of previous therapy, forward future aftercare reports, enter into a new two-year Post-Violation Agreement, and pay all outstanding monies owed to the Commission prior to reinstatement by the Alcohol and Drug Program Administrator.