RULING NUMBER COM SB 010/2015

COMMISSION HEARING TORONTO, ONTARIO – MAY 6, 2015

NOTICE OF DECISION

IN THE MATTER OF THE RACING COMMISSION ACT, S.O. 2000, c.20;

AND IN THE MATTER OF THE APPEAL OF MIKE STOIKOPOULOS

Mike Stoikopoulos, licence # M08955, appealed against Ruling Number SB 44257 for violation of Rule 22.09 of the Rules of Standardbred Racing.

Date of Hearing: May 6, 2015

ORC Panel: Sandra Meyrick, Commissioner

Representative for the Appellant: Self represented

Counsel for the Administration: David Stewart

Decision:

The Panel denied the appeal.

A transcript with the Panel’s oral Reasons for Decision is attached to this Notice.

DATED at Toronto this 25^th day of May 2015.

______________________________

Steven Lehman

Executive Director

ONTARIO RACING COMMISSION

STANDARDBRED HEARING

IN THE MATTER OF THE RACING COMMISSION ACT, 2000, S.O. C.20 AND THE RULES OF STANDARDBRED RACING:

AND IN THE MATTER OF AN APPEAL AND REQUEST FOR HEARING OF MIKE STOIKOPOULOS:

Held Before:

Sandra Meyrick Commissioner

These are an excerpt of the proceedings in the above mentioned matter held before The Ontario Racing Commission, Re: MIKE STOIKOPOULOS, taken before Toronto Court Reporters, Suite 1410, 65 Queen Street West, Toronto, Ontario, at 10 Carlson Court, Suite 400, Toronto, Ontario, on the 6th day of May, 2015.

Appearances:

David Stewart,

Agent for the Ontario Racing Commission Administration

Hearing continued ...

MADAME CHAIR: Okay. I want to first, Mr. Stoikopoulos, thank you for your very able submissions this morning. I thought you did a great job and we see a lot of people that come before us and are not nearly as prepared as you were today. So I appreciate that very much. So this is an appeal of the judges ruling number SB44257 where on January 14^th, 2015 at Western Fair Raceway horse TOPANGA CANYON was found to have passed two consecutive pylons gaining an unfair advantage and this was in race 1. In accordance with Rule 22.09 of the rules of Standardbred Racing TOPANGA CANYON finished 2^nd and was placed 6^th by the panel of judges. There has been an appeal this morning and I am going to deny the appeal. I think based on the evidence and again I state that there have been very able submissions on behalf of both Mr. Stewart and by the trainer. The appeal, I’m going to uphold the unanimous findings of the judges. We have reviewed the race tapes from a variety of perspectives this morning and it appears to me that the offending horse was TOPANGA CANYON driven by Bob McClure. There will not be a change in the order of the finish. Thank you.

CERTIFIED CORRECT:_________________________________

RAYMOND P. MACDONALD, B.A., CVR

Commissioner of Oaths