California board seeks to clarify definition of interference

DEL MAR, Calif. – The California Horse Racing Board moved closer to altering rules for disqualifications at its monthly meeting on Friday.

The racing board introduced new terms for riding rules with the intent of clarifying incidents of interference and to give stewards the ability to penalize jockeys repeatedly cited for careless riding.

The board voted unanimously to present the new rules to the public for a 45-day comment period, during which any interested parties are invited to offer support or criticism of the suggested changes. If the board does not make revisions to the proposed rules, a vote could be taken as early as September, with implementation of new rules possible by the end of 2015 or in early 2016.

The most significant change is to the definition of interference, which is described as “bumping, impeding, forcing or floating in or out or otherwise causing any other horse to lose stride, ground, momentum or position.”

The new rule describes in more specific terms what constitutes interference than the existing rule.

In addition, language was clarified stating that a horse can be disqualified if, in the opinion of the stewards, it interferes with a rival and the horse interfered with is not at fault and lost a chance for a better placing according to the distribution of the purse or the order of finish in a trial heat.

Racing board executive director Rick Baedeker said the issue of riding rules has been discussed by the board and relevant committees for the last 18 months.

Attention on the subject intensified last November when Bayern bumped Shared Belief shortly after the start of the Breeders’ Cup Classic at Santa Anita. Bayern won the race, with Shared Belief fourth. After a lengthy inquiry, Bayern was not disqualified in a controversial discussion that led to widespread debate on what constitutes interference.

“We can continue to talk about the perfect language for the next many years and be satisfied that we don’t have it,” Baedeker said at the outset of the discussion. “This is an attempt to further define what constitutes interference and to qualify a better placing and put additional focus on careless riding.”

Baedeker said the new rules are designed to aid stewards in their decisions.

“If you want judges to be more consistent, make the rules more specific,” he said. “We want to reduce the inconsistency. It will never disappear.”
Jockeys who repeatedly commit acts of careless riding within a 90-day period will be hit with escalating penalties.

“The goal of this is for reasons of safety,” Baedeker said. “If you are a repeat offender, the penalty will be increasingly severe.”