The Kentucky Horse Racing Commission unanimously approved amendments to its claiming rules on Tuesday designed to keep horses in the state for a longer period of time after changing hands through the claim box.
The amendment with the most potential impact will likely be one extending the period of time a horse claimed in Kentucky is restricted from running out of state. Previously, horses were free to compete elsewhere after the close of entries on closing day of the meet where the horse was claimed. Following Tuesday's meeting, the restriction was moved out to 30 days from a meet's closing day.
Based on Kentucky's 2022 racing calendar, the longest wait time under the new provision would be 122 days, assuming the horse was claimed on the Jan. 1 opening card of Turfway Park's Winter Meet – the state's longest consecutive meet – which runs through April 4. At that point, the 30-day clock would start to finish the waiting period. A horse claimed on a meet's closing day would obviously have a shorter time to wait than one picked up earlier in the season.
Furthermore, the time in which a claimed horse is barred from being sold or transferred through means besides another claiming race was extended from 30 days to 60 days.
The provisions also added guidelines for who was eligible to drop a claim in the state. A licensed owner must now have made a start within the past 30 days at a Kentucky track in order to be eligible to claim a horse. The owner must still meet this criteria if they make their claim through an authorized agent.
Commission member Greg Harbut expressed concern that this provision could make it more difficult for new owners to enter the sport through the claiming route.
However, fellow commission member Mark Simendinger noted that those who don't meet the new requirement and wish to make a claim are still eligible to secure a claiming license through the stewards. A claiming license qualifies the licensee to claim one horse, at which point he or she becomes subject to the normal slate of rules for a racehorse owner. This provision was within Kentucky's claiming rules prior to the amendments.
Also of note, the new amendments limited owners to claiming one horse per race. Trainers may claim up to two horses in a single race, on the condition that they are being secured for separate owners.
“It's a breath of fresh air for the racing associations and the racing secretaries,” said commission member Bill Landes.
The post Kentucky Horse Racing Commission Approves New Claiming Rules appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.
