Date of Proposal: March 5, 2018

Proposal Number: PRN 2018-022

Proposal Description: The Racing Commission has proposed amendments to its rules governing claiming races within the sport of harness racing. N.J.A.C. 13:71-14.2A(a)1 is proposed for amendment toclarify the conditions necessary for a horse to be exempt from claiming. Specifically, the rule is proposed for amendment to explain that if a horse is entered into a race, that horse can be scratched prior to off-time without harming the trainer’s and owner’s right to exempt that horse the next time it starts a race. The amendment is proposed to safeguard the health of racehorses. If a horse is entered into a race but still has a lingering injury, the owner and/or trainer need not fear that they have wasted their one-time exemption by entering the horse into a race, as long as the horse does not start. There are three additional amendments proposed relative to claiming races. One proposed amendment – to N.J.A.C. 13:71-14-17B(a)1 – adds a restriction to a claimant’s right to void a claim should a horse test positive for a drug or substance foreign to the natural horse after the race in which it was claimed. Another amendment – to N.J.A.C. 13:71-14.17B(a)2 – pertains to a claimant’s allotted time frame in which to void a claim.

Another amendment – to N.J.A.C. 13:71-14.18 – is designed to make clear that, should a horse be entered into a race due to administrative error, that horse shall not be subject to a claim.

Summary of Proposal: A complete summary of the proposed rule amendment is posted on the New Jersey Racing Commission Web site at: www.nj.gov/oag/racing/proposed.html                   

Public Comment: Public comment on the proposed rule will be accepted until May 4, 2018.

Please direct all comments to:

Frank Zanzuccki, Executive Director
Department of Law and Public Safety
New Jersey Racing Commission
P.O. Box 088
Trenton, New Jersey 08625-0088
NJRCWebinfo@lps.state.nj.us

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