by Ken Weingartner, Harness Racing Communications

Freehold, NJ — Members from U.S. Trotting Association District 12 met Friday (Oct. 29) at Freehold Raceway to discuss proposed USTA rule changes and make recommendations.

USTA/Ken Weingartner photo

District 12 directors (left to right) Alex Dadoyan, Jacqueline Ingrassia, John Brennan, Jeff Gregory and Chris McErlean posed for a group photo.

Those in attendance included district directors John Brennan, Alex Dadoyan, Jeff Gregory, Jacqueline Ingrassia and Chris McErlean. Brennan was re-elected chairman. He announced that McErlean was re-elected to a track representative seat in voting prior to the meeting.

Among the proposals district members voted to recommend approval were the use of cell phones or PDAs in the paddock for legitimate business or personal use, requiring all buckles on front hobble hangers to be taped, and the changing of race timing from fifths to one-hundredths of a second.

District members recommended the rejection of several proposals, including the requiring of comments for each horse’s charted line, changing the structure of purse distribution for horses that are interfered with, and assigning distance penalties for going inside pylons.

Ellen Harvey, director of the USTA’s Harness Racing Communications division, provided an overview of USTA activities from the past year.