Ontario Racing Commission

Standardbred Veterinarian Dr. Reg Westgarth appealed a penalty issued against him and applied for a stay.

The Ontario Racing Commission heard the application and granted the stay, suspending the penalty until October 7, 2003.

Standardbred Trainer John Janes appealed the penalties set out in rulings SB 156/2003 and SB 166/2003.

He applied for a stay of the penalties, which was heard by a panel of the Ontario Racing Commission.

The Executive Director ordered that the penalties be stayed until September 8, 2003.

The applicant, a standardbred trainer, appealed penalties issued against him and applied for a stay.

The Ontario Racing Commission granted the stay of the penalties until October 10, 2003.

Standardbred Trainer William Robinson appealed penalties issued against him and applied for a stay.

A panel of the Ontario Racing Commission heard the application and granted a stay of the penalties until September 8, 2003.

The Ontario Racing Commission heard applications from Rideau Carleton Raceway and Woodbine Entertainment Group for teletheatre licences.

The Commission approved the teletheatre licences for both applicants at their respective sites, subject to certain conditions such as receipt of final building inspection documents and liquor licences.

Additionally, an existing teletheatre licence for Woodbine Entertainment Group at a different unit was cancelled effective upon the opening of the new site.

The Ontario Racing Commission issued an order confirming that standardbred owner/driver/trainer Dennis Duford's 180-day suspension and $2,500 fine, pursuant to a prior ruling, would commence on July 21, 2003, and end on January 20, 2004.

The applicant, a veterinarian, brought a motion for an order summarily allowing his appeal and setting aside a ruling that fined him for incorrectly labeling diazepam with a 36-hour withdrawal time.

The applicant argued that a previous Commission decision involving another veterinarian had already determined the issue.

The Commission dismissed the motion, finding that a genuine issue for hearing existed because the horse in this case was concurrently taking omeprazole, which could affect the clearance time, and because new information regarding clearance times may have become available since the previous decision.

The appellant, a thoroughbred owner, appealed a Stewards' Ruling that voided the claim of a horse.

The claim was voided because one of the partners in the claiming stable was previously suspended, rendering him ineligible to participate in Ontario.

The Ontario Racing Commission dismissed the appeal, confirming that the horse must be returned to its previous owner.

The applicant requested a hearing after his nominations for several horse racing events were rejected by the Woodbine Entertainment Group for being postmarked after the deadline.

The applicant argued that the delay was due to a snowstorm and postal issues.

The Ontario Racing Commission found it had jurisdiction to hear the matter but declined to waive the breach of the postmark rule, emphasizing the need for objectivity and certainty in the nomination process.

The nominations were not accepted.

The Ontario Racing Commission issued an order on agreement regarding standardbred owner and trainer Michel Rivest.

Following a $5,000 fine and a one-year full suspension, the parties agreed that the suspension period would commence on May 26, 2003, and end on May 25, 2004.

A thoroughbred veterinarian appealed a Stewards Ruling fining him $1,500 for failing to properly label a bottle of Valium before dispensing it, in violation of Rule 27.20.

The veterinarian admitted to omitting required information on the label but contested the finding that his recommended 36-hour withdrawal time violated the rule.

The Ontario Racing Commission found that the 36-hour recommendation was reasonable based on clinical experience and the information available in 2000.

However, the Commission upheld the $1,500 fine due to the serious nature of dispensing improperly labeled drugs.

The appellants appealed the claiming of the horse STRANGER for $15,000 at Mohawk Raceway.

The Ontario Racing Commission granted the appeal, reversed and voided the claim, and ordered the horse returned to its recorded owners.

The Ontario Racing Commission previously imposed a 60-day suspension and a $2,000 fine on standardbred licensee Edward McHale.

On consent of the parties, the Chair heard the issue of the dates for the suspension to be served.

The Commission ordered that the suspension be served from July 15, 2003, to September 14, 2003.

The owners of a three-year-old trotting colt appealed a decision by the Ontario Horse Racing Industry Association (OHRIA) excluding the colt from the 2003 Ontario Sires Stakes Program for failure to make a sustaining payment.

The owners argued that the sudden death of the managing partner, who had failed to properly register the ownership transfer, constituted extenuating circumstances justifying an exception.

The Ontario Racing Commission dismissed the appeal by a majority decision, finding that the remaining owners had ample opportunity to ensure the payment was made and that the circumstances did not warrant waiving the program's conditions.

The applicant, Fort Erie Race Track, applied for a teletheatre licence for a new site in Niagara Falls.

The Ontario Racing Commission approved the application, granting a licence for the new site operated by Longshots OTB & Sportsbar, subject to the receipt of a finalized liquor licence.

Concurrently, the Commission cancelled the teletheatre licence for the applicant's previous site in Niagara Falls.

Standardbred trainer Curt Bond appeared before the Ontario Racing Commission following an indefinite suspension by the Judges at Flamboro Downs for violating Rules 6.38(f) and 5.11.

The panel found that Bond violated the rules but varied the penalty to a one-month suspension, maintaining previous licence conditions upon reinstatement.

The appellant, a thoroughbred owner, appealed a decision of the Thoroughbred Industry Appeal Board that upheld the Stewards' decision to disqualify his horse from first position and place it eighth for alleged interference.

The Ontario Racing Commission panel viewed the videotape of the race, heard evidence from the Steward and jockeys, and allowed the appeal.

The purses were ordered to be distributed in accordance with the actual order of finish, restoring the appellant's horse to first place.

Standardbred owner, driver, and trainer Orlie Coville appealed a Judges' Ruling that fined him $1,500 and suspended him for 60 days following two positive drug tests for ephedrine and related substances in his horses.

The Ontario Racing Commission dismissed the appeal, ratifying the $1,500 fine and the 60-day suspension, but ordered that the last 30 days of the suspension be stayed.

The appellant, a standardbred owner/driver/trainer, appealed a Judges Ruling that suspended him for 10 days, fined him $500, and placed him on probation for one year for using insulting and offensive language toward security personnel.

The incident occurred after the appellant had been drinking and became involved in an altercation with security over the care of his horse.

The Ontario Racing Commission dismissed the appeal, finding that while the appellant's frustration was understandable, it did not justify his offensive behaviour, especially given a prior similar infraction.

The penalty was upheld.

Standardbred owner Marvin Chantler appealed a decision of the Standardbred Industry Appeal Board, which found that his horse interfered with another horse during a race and altered the order of finish.

The Ontario Racing Commission panel heard evidence, reviewed the race videotape, and dismissed the appeal, upholding the revised order of finish.