Richard Shibley

The appellant, a standardbred trainer, appealed a ruling prohibiting him from participating in racing in Ontario based on a reciprocal enforcement of a ban in Virginia and a licence revocation in Massachusetts.

The appellant had failed to disclose these foreign penalties on his Ontario licence applications.

The Ontario Racing Commission rescinded the reciprocal enforcement order due to concerns about procedural fairness in the foreign jurisdiction, but accepted a joint submission cancelling the appellant's trainer's licence and granting him a conditional tradesman's licence as a farrier due to his failure to disclose the foreign penalties.

Three standardbred owners/trainers appealed rulings by the Standardbred Judges at Grand River Raceway regarding alleged misconduct with respect to the horse LAVROS STAR N. The Ontario Racing Commission upheld the findings of improper conduct and rule violations regarding ownership and control for Matthew Shibley.

The Commission allowed Joseph Shibley's appeal regarding a hidden training interest but upheld other rule violations, reducing his penalty.

Patrick Shibley's appeal on liability was dismissed, but his penalty was reduced.

The Commission emphasized the importance of proper business practices and documentation in the horse racing industry.