Maryland adopts claiming rule similar to New York, California

The Maryland Racing Commission on Tuesday approved a rule that will void any claim of a horse that dies during a race or is euthanized on the track as a result of an injury, according to the commission’s executive director, J. Mike Hopkins.

Hopkins said that the rule will likely go into effect “within the next four to six weeks, at the very most by the first of the year.”

The rule had been provisionally approved earlier this year with the support of the state’s horsemen.

With the approval, Maryland becomes the third state to approve rules allowing for the voiding of claims. New York and California have passed similar rules, but those states also allow the claims to be voided in other circumstances. In New York, for example, claims can be voided at the discretion of the person making the claim if the horse is vanned off the track.

Hopkins said that the commission plans to review how the new rule effects racing in the state while considering whether to expand the rule to other circumstances, as in New York and California.