Fri, August 23, 2019

Race 5 - Steward’s inquiry into the start, #7 Held Accountable (Eric Cancel) lunged and opened the starting gate doors prior to the official start of the race. The gate doors functioned normally for the other horses in the race, and it was judged that the incident was solely caused by the actions of #7. She finished last in the race. After reviewing the video and speaking with the rider, the stewards determined that no further action was necessary and the race was declared official as is.

With regard to interference, New York is a “Category 2” state, meaning that Commission rules provide that if the interferer is guilty of causing interference and such interference in the judgment of the Stewards has altered the finish of the race, then the interferer is placed behind the offended horse.

The Stewards consider whether the riders of the horse or horses that are offended continue to give effort to the finish of the race.

The Stewards also consider whether the offending jockey acted in a willful or careless manner while interfering with another horse or jockey, for which the interferer may be disqualified, i.e., placed last or unplaced in the order of finish. For example, if an offending jockey acts in a dangerous manner, exhibits extremely improper riding or impedes several horses, the Stewards may disqualify the offending horse without regard to the specific effect of the foul on the order of finish.