USTA districts 2A and 2B held annual meeting Saturday
October 14, 2019,Northville, MI – USTA District 2A and 2B—Michigan and Indiana—held their annual meeting on Saturday (Oct. 12) at Northville Downs. The meeting was chaired by director Marilyn Breuer-Bertera, from Michigan, who was joined by fellow Michigan directors Mike Sweeney and Steve Oldford; Sam Hedington, Indiana director; and other District 2 members.
Attendees were presented a brief USTA 2019 USTA Activities Review handout and discussed topics specific to the district. The 2019 rule change proposals submitted by members, directors, and USTA staff, were considered in preparation for a vote by the full board at Annual Board of Directors meeting in Columbus next March. The complete text of the 23 rule change proposals may be viewed here.
District 2 accepted eight of the rule change proposals, rejected 14, and tabled one for further discussion at the annual meeting. A summary of the voting on Rule Change Proposals at the district meeting is as follows:
Proposal #1 | (Elimination of heat racing) | REJECT |
Proposal #2 | (Extended pari-mutuel meets) | ACCEPT |
Proposal #3 | (Prohibit gene doping) | ACCEPT |
Proposal #4 | (Pylon requirements) | REJECT |
Proposal #5 | (Extended saddle pads) | REJECT |
Proposal #6 | (Racetrack maintenance) | TABLE |
Proposal #7 | (Jail period for claimed horses) | REJECT |
Proposal #8 | (Interfered horses purse money) | REJECT |
Proposal #9 | (Weighted post position draw) | REJECT |
Proposal #10 | (Distinguishable starting point) | REJECT |
Proposal #11 | (Post-July 1 qualifiers) | ACCEPT |
Proposal #12 | (Standards for fair start pole) | REJECT |
Proposal #13 | (Amateur driver eligibility) | REJECT |
Proposal #14 | (Amateur driver eligibility) | ACCEPT |
Proposal #15 | (Trainer’s license minimums) | REJECT |
Proposal #16 | (Driving colors – “P” license) | ACCEPT |
Proposal #17 | (Whip regulations) | REJECT |
Proposal #18 | (Sex change reporting requirement) | ACCEPT |
Proposal #19 | (Remeasure track circumferences) | REJECT |
Proposal #20 | (Recording ownership percentage) | REJECT |
Proposal #21 | (Multiple embryo transfers/year) | REJECT |
Proposal #22 | (Definition of Standardbred) | ACCEPT |
Proposal #23 | (Non-Standardbred definition) | ACCEPT |