from the USTA Communications Department

Columbus, OH — The committee reports from the recently-held 2014 USTA Annual Meeting in Columbus, Ohio, are now available on www.ustrotting.com. To see the reports, click here.

The reports are from the following committees that met during the past weekend: Registration – Owners/Breeders, Pari-Mutuel, Driver/Trainer, Regulatory, Fairs, Communications/Marketing, Rules, and Finance.

The Rules Committee report includes each of the proposed rule changes for 2014 with the recommendations to the Rules Committee from each of the other committees.

Following are the 2014 rule changes that were approved by the USTA Board of Directors:

1. A proposal to amend §4.153 Record / Standard Record – by adding the following language to the end of the first sentence “at the standard distance of one mile.”

APPROVED

§4.135 Record / Standard Record – The fastest time made by a horse in a heat or race which he or she won at the standard distance of one mile. A Standard Record is a record of 2:20 or faster for two-year-olds and 2:15 or faster for all other ages. Effective May 1, 2014

2. A proposal to amend §6.16 Timers – by changed the word “fifths” in the send sentence to read “tenths”.

APPROVED AS AMENDED by Pari-Mutuel Committee –

Change timing to 100^ths of a second effective January 1, 2016.

Pari-Mutuel

§6.16 Timers. – At each race there shall be three timers in the judges’ or timers’ stand except when an electronic timing device is used, in which event there shall be one timer. All times shall be announced and recorded in fifths of seconds. Effective January 1, 2016 and thereafter, all times shall be announced and recorded in 100^ths of seconds. An approved electronic or electric timing device must be used where horses are started from a chute.

The timers shall be in the stand 15 minutes before the first race is to be contested. They shall start their watches when the first horse leaves the point from which the distance of the race is measured. The time of the lead horse at the quarter, half, three-quarters, and the finish shall be taken. If odd distances are raced the fractions shall be noted accordingly. Effective January 1, 2016

3. A proposal to amend §9.03 Leased Horses – to eliminate all racing leases for an “indefinite” period of time and require a termination date of not more than two years from the effective date of the lease.

APPROVED AS AMENDED by Regulatory Committee

§9.03 Leased Horses. – Any horse on a racing lease must race in the name of the lessee. No electronic eligibility will be issued to a horse under lease unless a copy of the lease is filed with the USTA. For purposes of issuance of electronic eligibility and/or transfer of ownership, a lease shall be terminated at the end of the term or by signature of all parties. No new racing lease shall be recorded with a termination date of more than two years. Effective May 1, 2014

4. A proposal to amend §24.01 Timing of Races – to change the words “fifths of seconds” in the third line of the first sentence to read “tenths of seconds.

APPROVED AS AMENDED BY Pari-Mutuel Committee

§24.01 Timing of Races. – In every race, the time of each heat or race, shall be accurately taken by three timers or an approved electric timing device, in which case there shall be one timer and placed in the record in minutes, seconds and fifths of seconds and upon the decision of each heat the time thereof shall be publicly announced or posted. Effective January 1, 2016 and thereafter, all times shall be announced and recorded in 100^ths of seconds. No unofficial timing shall be announced or admitted to the record and when the timers fail to act no time shall be announced or recorded for that heat. Effective January 1, 2016

5. A proposal to add language to existing §26.03 Non-Standardbred – to require that any such horse be spayed or neutered as a requirement for registration by adding the following language to the end of the first sentence: “and verification that the horse has been spayed or neutered.”

APPROVED

§26.03 Non-Standardbred. – Any horse may be registered as Non-Standardbred upon filing application showing satisfactory identification of the horse and verification that the horse has been spayed or neutered. This identification may be accomplished by furnishing the name, age, sex, sire, dam, color and markings, and history of the previous owners. A mating certificate must accompany this application showing the sire to be some type of a registered horse. Any owner standing a Non-Standardbred stallion for service must include the fact that it is Non-Standardbred in all advertisements of such service.

Other provisions of these rules notwithstanding, the Registration Committee may register as Non-Standardbred any horse which does not qualify for such registration under this section if, in their opinion, such horse should be registered Non-Standardbred. Effective May 1, 2014