N.J. Admin. Code § 13:71-8.24

Current through Register Vol. 56, No. 24, December 18, 2024

Section 13:71-8.24 - Procedure of judges

(a) It shall be the procedure of the judges to:

1. Be in the stand 15 minutes before the first race and remain in the stand for 10 minutes after the last race and at all times when the horses are upon the track;

2. Observe the preliminary warming up of horses and scoring; noting the behavior of horses, lameness, equipment, conduct of drivers, changes in odds and any unusual incidents pertaining to horses or drivers participating in races;

3. Have the bell rung or give other notice at least 10 minutes before a race or heat. Any driver failing to obey this summons may be punished and his horse may be ruled out by the judges and considered drawn;

4. Designate one of their members to lock the pari-mutuel machines immediately upon the horses reaching the official starting point. The presiding judge shall designate the post time for each race and the horses will be called at such time as to preclude excessive delay after the completion of two courses;

5. Be in communication with the patrol judges where patrol judges are used, by use of patrol phones, from the time the starter picks up the horses until the finish of the race. Any violation or near violation of the rules shall be reported by the patrol judge witnessing the incident and a written record made of same. At least one judge shall observe the drivers throughout the stretch specifically noting any change in course, interference, improper use of whips, breaks and failure to contest the race to the finish;

6. Be in continuous communication with each other in cases where the Commission requires one of them to ride in the starting gate behind the horses for the purpose of patrolling the race. In such case, the judge assigned to the starting gate shall maintain continuous communications with a judge assigned to the judge's stand and perform all duties described by the rules;

7. Post the objection sign, or inquiry sign, on the odds board in the case of a complaint or possible rule violation, and immediately notify the announcer of the objection and of the horse or horses involved. As soon as the judges have made a decision, the objection sign shall be removed, the correct placing displayed and the "Official" sign flashed. In all instances the judges shall post the order of finish and the "Official" sign as soon as they have made their decision;

8. Display the photo sign if the order of finish among the contending horses is less than half-length or a contending horse is on a break at the finish. After the photo has been examined and a decision made, a copy or copies shall be made, checked by the presiding judge and posted for public inspection;

9. Sign the judges' book after each race, verifying the correctness of the record by the clerk of the course.

N.J. Admin. Code § 13:71-8.24

Amended by R.1990 d.126, effective 2/20/1990.
See: 21 New Jersey Register 3861(a), 22 New Jersey Register 667(a).
Deleted requirement for all horses and drivers to return to judge's stand and salute before "Official" sign could be posted.