New York Gaming Commission seeks change to jockey suspension rules

The New York Gaming Commission on Tuesday approved a draft rule that would allow the commission to force riders to serve suspensions at the track where an infraction occurred, regardless of the appeals process, according to several reports.

The approval, which sets in motion the formal rule-making process, seeks to end a common practice among riders of appealing a suspension to delay the adjudication process until richer racing days have ended on the circuit, according to a note published by the gaming commission. Specifically, according to the note, riders have used the appeals process to stretch out the adjudication process to avoid serving suspensions during the rich Saratoga Race Course meet.

The note states that in the past the commission had used a “Saratoga policy” to allow the commission to force riders to serve the suspension during a subsequent Saratoga meet, but that a court had struck down the policy because it was not based on a formal rule.

According to the reports, Robert Williams, executive director of the commission, said that jockeys were being allowed to “game the system by requesting a hearing and then withdrawing the request at the conclusion of the meet, serving the suspension during a meet the jockey prefers.”

With the approval, the rule will be published in the state register, followed by a public-comment period. The gaming commission could then vote to formally adopt the rule.