Ontario Racing Commission

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 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 ruling that fined him $200, suspended him from driving for 3 days, and placed his horse from 2nd to 9th for failing to keep a line in each hand and striking the horse with a whip.

The Ontario Racing Commission allowed the appeal in part.

The 3-day suspension and $200 fine were upheld, but the placement of the horse was overturned, reinstating it to its 2nd place finish.

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 licensed standardbred owner/trainer/driver, appealed a ruling by the standardbred Judges refusing his request to transfer two horses to his own care.

The horses were previously trained by his son, who had been suspended for a TCO2 violation.

The Judges refused the transfer because the appellant and his son were immediate family members and the horses would remain at the same farm, meaning it was not an arm's length transfer.

The Ontario Racing Commission dismissed the appeal and upheld the refusal of the trainer transfer.

The licensee, a standardbred trainer/owner, appealed the penalties imposed by the standardbred Judges after his horse tested positive for Reserpine, a Class II tranquilizer.

The Judges had imposed a $5,000 fine and a one-year suspension.

On appeal, the Commission considered mitigating factors, including the licensee's time in the business and the fact that he eventually disclosed the source of the drug.

The Commission reduced the suspension to six months and the fine to $2,500, while imposing probationary terms on his license.

The appellant, a standardbred licensee, was found in possession of prohibited substances, including Aranesp, intended for use on racehorses.

He appealed an Order of Immediate Suspension.

At the hearing, the parties presented an Agreed Statement of Facts and a Joint Submission on penalty.

The Ontario Racing Commission accepted the joint submission, imposing a 10-year suspension and a $30,000 fine, noting the penalty was reasonable and served the public interest by deterring the use of performance-enhancing drugs in horse racing.

The appellant, a standardbred driver, appealed a judges' ruling that fined him $200 and suspended him for three days for failing to keep his whip within the confines of the wheels during a race, contrary to Rule 22.23.03(c).

The Ontario Racing Commission upheld the violation, finding that the driver made a whipping motion outside the confines of the wheels.

The Commission denied the appeal of the fine but varied the penalty by staying the three-day suspension for one year, provided the driver commits no further violations of the rule during that time.

The licensee appealed a 180-day suspension and $1,500 fine imposed by the Track Judges for a TCO2 rule violation involving his standardbred racehorse.

The licensee admitted the violation and appealed only the penalty.

The Ontario Racing Commission confirmed the penalty but, based on mitigating circumstances including a guilty plea and a technician's error, varied the suspension by staying the final 60 days for two years, conditional on no further violations.

The appellant, a standardbred licensee, appealed a three-day driving suspension and the placement of his horse from 3rd to 6th for causing interference during a race.

The Ontario Racing Commission reviewed the video evidence and witness testimony, concluding that interference did occur.

The appeal was denied, and the suspension and placement were upheld.

The appellant appealed a Standardbred Judges Decision placing her horse from 1st to 6th for failing to continuously lose ground while off stride in the stretch, contrary to ORC Rule 22.27(c).

The Ontario Racing Commission panel found that the horse did not continuously lose ground and upheld the judges' decision, dismissing the appeal.

The appellant appealed a Notice of Proposed Order to Refuse to Issue a Licence as a Standardbred Driver.

The Ontario Racing Commission allowed the appeal in part, setting aside the Director's order and directing the Director to re-examine the application in three months.

The appellant was required to provide updates on his sobriety, resolve outstanding criminal charges and fines, and address allegations of attempting to coerce a witness.

The licensee appealed a one-year suspension and $5,000 fine imposed by the Judges after his trained horse tested positive for the Class II drug Reserpine.

At the hearing, the parties presented a joint submission on disposition.

The Ontario Racing Commission accepted the joint submission, imposing an 8-month suspension (with 3 months stayed), a $3,000 fine, and a two-year probationary period with conditions including random searches and out-of-competition testing.

Macranald Enterprises Inc. (Sudbury Downs) appealed a decision of the Deputy Director of the Ontario Racing Commission denying its revised 2010 live race date application.

The track sought to compress its 67 race dates into a shorter season, vacating an 8-week period.

The Commission had previously issued a moratorium on race dates for 2010 to prevent substantial changes that could impact the industry.

The Commission found that the Deputy Director's ruling was reasonable, as the application lacked industry support, failed to adequately address horse supply issues, and did not demonstrate how the compressed season would impact the broader industry.

The appeal was denied.

The applicants, a licensed horse owner and his racing stable, brought a motion to stay the proceedings against them for alleged hidden ownership of racehorses.

They argued that the proceedings should be stayed due to excessive delay and the Administration's failure to make full and complete disclosure, including information from a 33-month investigation into the owner's father.

The Ontario Racing Commission dismissed the motion, finding that the Administration had met its disclosure obligations and that the applicants had acquiesced in and contributed to the delay.

The appellant, a standardbred driver, appealed a ruling that fined him $1,000 and suspended him for 10 days for excessive whipping of a horse during a race.

The appellant argued the whipping was not brutal and merely consisted of light taps.

The Commission found that striking the horse 14 to 19 times continuously during the stretch run constituted excessive use of the whip, regardless of the force used.

Noting the appellant's 15 prior whip and urging violations in the past year, the Commission upheld the penalty, emphasizing the need for progressive discipline to deter such conduct and protect the welfare of the horse.

The appellant, a licensed driver/trainer/owner, appealed a decision finding he used his whip indiscriminately during a race.

He failed to attend the appeal hearing, having left a voicemail the night before attempting to withdraw.

The Commission proceeded in his absence, upheld the violation based on video evidence and his prior admission, and increased his penalty from a 5-day suspension and $500 fine to a 7-day suspension and $1,000 fine due to his history of similar violations.

The Commission also assessed a $1,500 fine for a frivolous appeal, noting his abuse of the due process system.

The appellant, a standardbred licensee, appealed a decision of the Ontario Racing Commission Judges suspending him for three years and fining him $5,000 for fraud, hidden ownership, and other rule violations.

The Commission found that the appellant misled investigators, failed to disclose a prior fraud conviction on his licence applications, and defrauded a horse owner.

The Commission denied the appeal, affirmed the $5,000 fine, and varied the suspension to four years, with eighteen months stayed pending compliance with conditions.

The appellants appealed a decision of the Ontario Racing Commission Judges fining them $17,343.50 each for violating Standardbred Rule 15.09(a) by racing a claimed horse outside of Ontario within 60 days of the claim.

The appellants argued the rule was ambiguous and the officials lacked authority to impose the fine.

The Commission denied the appeal, finding the officials had delegated authority and the penalty policy was clear and appropriate to prevent profiting from rule violations.

However, the Commission reduced the fines to $8,671.75 each due to mitigating factors, including the appellants' good records and the horse's immediate return to Ontario.

Hanover Raceway appealed a decision by the Deputy Director approving Grand River Raceway's application to race on Wednesdays during the summer of 2010.

Hanover argued this would negatively impact driver availability.

The Ontario Racing Commission denied the appeal, finding the Deputy Director operated within the applicable policy directive and noting that Hanover could mitigate impacts by moving its own race days or benefiting from a trickle-down effect of driver availability.