The Jockey Club launches site listing rulings against trainers

The Jockey Club on Friday launched a public website allowing users to browse rulings issued against Thoroughbred trainers.

The website, located at www.thoroughbredrulings.com, allows users to search rulings by trainer, horse, racetrack, or racing jurisdiction. Ranges for queries can be narrowed by a range of dates or the amount of the fine levied.

The Jockey Club developed the site as a service to owners and as a response to concerns that the regulatory records of trainers are not readily available. In surveys, some prospective owners have said that they cannot easily determine whether potential trainers have long records of rules violations.

“This website was created as a service to the industry to make regulatory information more easily accessible,” said James Gagliano, the Jockey Club’s president and chief operating officer, in a statement. “Over time, we will add more features to this database and eventually migrate it into a new, comprehensive website for owners.”

Over the past several years, several federal and state legislators have been highly critical of racing’s treatment of trainers who break the sport’s rules. The critics have raised suggestions that the federal government would better regulate racing, a position that the Jockey Club has resisted.

“Providing access to regulatory rulings is an important part of maintaining the overall integrity of our sport,” said Alex Waldrop, the president of the National Thoroughbred Racing Association, which lobbies on behalf of the racing industry, in the Jockey Club statement. “Our fans and owners have told us repeatedly that they desire greater transparency, and this new website is clearly a step in that direction.”