Mich. Admin. Code R. 431.4020 - Stewards; duties and responsibilities
Rule 4020.
(1) In
addition to the general powers specified in these rules, the stewards shall
have the following specific duties and responsibilities:
(a) Exclude from the race any horse that, in
their opinion, is improperly equipped, dangerous, or unfit to race.
(b) Investigate any act of cruelty seen by
them or reported to them, whether a horse subjected to the alleged cruelty is
stabled on or off the grounds.
(c)
Immediately thereafter open an investigation of any accidents to determine the
cause thereof.
(d) Closely observe
the performance of the drivers and the horses to ascertain if there are any
violations of racing rules, particularly interference, helping, or inconsistent
racing, and exhaust all means possible to safeguard the contestants and the
public.
(e) Notify a summoned party
of a hearing as soon as possible.
(f) Be in the stand 15 minutes before the
first race.
(g) Observe the
preliminary warming up of horses and scoring, noting all of the following:
(i) Behavior of horses.
(ii) Lameness.
(iii) Equipment.
(iv) Conduct of the drivers.
(v) Changes in odds.
(vi) Any unusual incidents pertaining to
horses or drivers participating in races.
(h) Designate 1 steward to lock the
pari-mutuel machines immediately upon the horses reaching the official starting
point.
(i) Be in communication with
the patrol judges, by use of patrol phones or radio, from the time the official
starter picks up the horses until the finish of the race. A recording may be
made and preserved of all communications between the patrol judges and the
stewards' stand.
(j) Cause the
"objection" sign or "inquiry" sign to be posted in the case of an objection or
possible rule violation, and immediately notify the announcer of the objection
and the horse or horses involved. In addition, the stewards shall cause the
"inquiry" sign to be posted when there has been an accident during the race. As
soon as the stewards have made a decision, the posted sign shall be removed,
the correct placing displayed, the "official" sign flashed, the announcer
provided with an explanation of the decision for announcement, and a video
displayed on racetrack monitors.
(k) Display the "photo" sign if the order of
finish among the contending horses is less than 1/2 length or a contending
horse is on a break at the finish. After the photo has been examined and a
decision made, true copies shall be made and posted or projected for public
inspection.
(l) May review the
video recordings of the races conducted the previous race day and, in instances
of a possible rule infraction or for instructional purposes, show and explain
such films to drivers on a daily basis at a time designated by the
stewards.
(m) Maintain a daily
stewards' report in the manner and form prescribed by the executive director
and report all actions of the stewards that arise during a race day.
(2) In the performance of their
duties, the stewards shall have unrestricted access to all areas and grounds of
an association.
(3) A complaint
against a racing official may be made to the stewards or to the executive
director. Complaints made directly to the stewards shall be reported to the
executive director, in writing, together with any action which has been taken
by the stewards.
Notes
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