Section 170. Breaking

A. Driver's responsibility. When a horse breaks from its gait, the driver shall at once, where clearance exists, take the horse to the outside and pull it to its gait. The stewards may set any horse back one or more places if a driver of a breaking horse does not:

1. Properly attempt to pull the horse to its gait;

2. Take the horse to the outside where clearance exists; or

3. Lose ground by the break.

B. Lapped-on break. The stewards shall set back a breaking horse when the nose of a contending horse, which is on gait, is at least even with the hind quarter of the breaking horse at the finish.

C. Fraudulent intent. A driver allowing his horse to break, or causing his horse to make a break, for a fraudulent purpose shall be subject to disciplinary action.

D. Notation. One of the stewards shall call out a break made during the course of a race so that the clerk of the course may make a notation on the horse's eligibility certificate.

E. Any horse making a break that causes interference to other contending horses may be placed behind all offended horses; if there has been no failure on the part of the driver of the breaking horse in complying with this section, the driver may not be subject to disciplinary action by the stewards.

Historical Notes

Derived from VR662-05-02 § 3.6, eff. July 15, 1991; amended, Volume 16, Issue 26, eff. August 14, 2000.

Statutory Authority

§ 59.1-369 of the Code of Virginia.