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Weekly Stewards and Commissions Rulings: June 7 – June 13

Every week, the TDN publishes a roundup of key official rulings from the primary tracks within the four major racing jurisdictions of California, New York, Florida and Kentucky.

Here's a primer on how each of these jurisdictions adjudicates different offenses, what they make public (or not) and where.

CALIFORNIA

Track: Santa Anita
Date: 06/10/2022
Licensee: Jessica Pyfer, jockey
Penalty: Three-day suspension
Violation: Careless riding
Explainer: Jockey Jessica Pyfer, who rode Picture of a Lady in the first race at Santa Anita Park on June 5, 2022, is suspended for three racing days (June 17, 18 & 19, 2022) for altering course in the stretch without sufficient clearance and causing interference. This constitutes a violation of California Horse Racing Board rule #1699 (Riding Rules – Careless Riding).

Track: Santa Anita
Date: 06/12/2022
Licensee: Abel Cedillo, jockey
Penalty: $750 fine
Violation:
Explainer: Jockey Abel Cedillo is fined $750.00 for violation of California Horse Racing Board Rule #1688(b)(8)(d) (Use of Riding Crop–more than six times–second offense in last 60 days) during the third race at Santa Anita Park on June 11, 2022.

FLORIDA
The following was recently posted on the Association of Racing Commissioners International recent rulings website.

Track: Gulfstream Park
Date: 11/23/2021
Licensee: Marcial Navarro
Penalty: $150 fine
Violation: Trainer responsibility
Explainer: Final Order – Case 2021-040103 – F.S. Chapter 550.105, F.A.C. Rule 61D-2.023(7)(c) – violation = Respondent FINED for failing to ensure that the Petitioner was notified of the death of “NOW A JAGUAR” within 18 hours as required by Florida Administrative Code. 5/24/2022 – Final Order Fine of $150 paid in full.

NEW YORK

Track: Belmont Park
Date: 06/12/2022
Licensee: Steven Lascher, racing official
Penalty: $4,000 fine
Violation: Failure to follow Lasix procedure
Explainer: Mr. Steven Lascher is hereby fined $4,000 dollars for failing to follow proper Lasix procedure necessitating the late scratches of horses racing in the 7th race on June 9th, 2022.

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Candidates for ’22 FHBPA Election Announced

Nine nominees have been selected for the upcoming 2022 Florida Horsemen's Benevolent & Protective Association election, to be held Mar. 15, 2022. Nominations were submitted during the FHBPA's annual general nominating meeting and awards dinner at Gulfstream Park Dec. 11. The nine candidates are owners Brad Beilly, Adam Lazarus, Troy Levy, David Rousso and Stephen Screnci; and trainers Kathy Davey, Michael Lerman, Joe Orseno and Terri Pompay.

The FHBPA is supervised and managed by a Board of 15 Directors. Six seats are reserved for Owner/Directors, and six seats are reserved for Trainer/Directors. Three Directors may be either an owner or a trainer. The Board of Directors is divided into three groups of five Directors, known as Groups 1, 2, and 3. Elections are held annually, and the terms of all Directors shall be three years.

Candidates must be licensed owners or trainers in good standing and must have started a horse five or more times during the 12 months immediately preceding the election date.

Voting for the 2022 FHBPA Election will begin in late January. Each member of the FHBPA who is currently licensed as an owner and/or trainer and is in good standing is entitled to cast one ballot in the general election.

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Belfiore Named New Executive Director Of Florida HBPA

Andy Belfiore, who has served as the Thoroughbred Horsemen's Association's Project Manager for the Mid-Atlantic Strategic Plan to Reduce Equine Fatalities for the last two years, has been named the new Executive Director of the Florida HBPA.

As Project Manager for the Strategic Plan, Belfiore worked with the plan's architects — Equine Medical Director Dr. Scott Palmer and Thoroughbred Horsemen's Association Chairman Alan Foreman — to organize and implement all aspects of the initiative, including coordination among industry stakeholders and regulators in the region, and communication with the Thoroughbred industry, legislators and the public.

“The FHBPA Board members as well as myself are delighted that Andy accepted our offer to serve as Executive Director,” FHBPA President Stephen Screnci said. “With her experience, knowledge and industry contacts, she's undoubtedly the perfect fit.”

A native of Massachusetts, Belfiore started her career in racing on the backstretch at Belmont Park, working as a hotwalker, groom, exercise rider and assistant trainer. After 10 years with the horses, she moved to the frontside at the track, and spent five years in the communications and marketing departments at NYRA. Belfiore left NYRA in 1993 to take the reins as editor-in-chief at the Thoroughbred Daily News, a position she held for 18 years. She was hired as Director of Communications for the New York Thoroughbred Horsemen's Association in December, 2011, and took over as Executive Director of in 2015, a post she held for four years. Belfiore has also served as Executive Director of the TAKE2 Second Career Thoroughbred Program Inc., and as co-Chair of the Board of the Backstretch Employee Service Team.

“I'm looking forward to working with Stephen and the Florida HBPA,” Belfiore said. “Racing in South Florida faces its challenges, but the horsemen have elected a terrific Board, and Stephen has proven to be a strong leader. I'm excited to be a part of the team.”

The post Belfiore Named New Executive Director Of Florida HBPA appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

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Gulfstream’s Tapeta Track to Debut Sept. 23

A new era at Gulfstream Park is set to begin Sept. 23 when the track will hold its first ever races on a Tapeta synthetic surface. Including two substitute races, there are three races in the condition book scheduled for that day on Tapeta along with three grass races that will instead be run on the synthetic surface.

The Gulfstream grass course will be given a break after the card of Sept. 19 and will not be used again until the Championship meet begins. Once that happens, Gulfstream will be the first track in the world to use three distinct surfaces–dirt, grass and a synthetic track. The Tapeta surface was built over what used to be the outer portion of the turf course.

Training has yet to begin on the Tapeta surface as Gulfstream is awaiting the arrival of a new rail that is set to be shipped in from Great Britain. According to Bill Badgett, the executive director of Florida racing operations for the Stronach Group, the new track should be open for training on Sept. 21.

Having a Tapeta surface means that Gulfstream will no longer have to move races to the dirt when inclement weather makes it is impossible to use the turf course. Whenever that happens, there are usually a number of scratches with the end result being a race with a small field that does not attract a lot of handle. Moving a race from the turf to Tapeta ordinarily does not result in a lot of scratches.

“When you start putting all the positives together, it was a plus, plus, plus for everybody,” Badgett said of the decision to install a Tapeta track. “Last year we had 100-something races taken off the turf. Obviously, when you go from having a 12-horse field scratched down to four horses it depletes the handle immensely. We are always working to try to raise purses and it hinders that when your field size falls to pieces.”

The Tapeta course will essentially replace the turf course over the next two months. Through last year, racing in South Florida moved to Gulfstream Park West at this time of the year, which meant the Gulfstream turf course got what was a badly-needed break. Gulfstream Park West is no longer in operation, which has made Gulfstream a year-round operation.

“For the last six years we have gone to Gulfstream Park West and October and November was the time we used to renovate the turf course,” Badgett said. “We run on it 10 months out of the year and somewhere along the line it needs a break. If we didn't have Tapeta and if we tried to run on the turf this time of year we would have to use the turf course very sparingly.”

Badgett also raised the possibility that some dirt races could be moved to the synthetic track.

“If there is a monsoon or a torrential downpour, that's another reason why putting in the Tapeta track is a plus,” he said. “Especially down here, you can get hurricanes and severe weather at any given time. Moving races from the dirt to the Tapeta is something to definitely think about.”

Once turf racing returns, the Tapeta track will take on a new role. While races will be regularly carded on the surface, they, for the most part, will be for cheaper horses. The plan will be to reserve the turf course for stakes, allowances and for other higher level races.

“We will be saving the turf course for the better horses,” Badgett said.

But Badgett said that a time may come when Gulfstream will look to card top-level races and, possibly stakes races, on the Tapeta surface.

“Down the road, having a stakes on Tapeta is a possibility,” he said. “It is a learning experience for everybody right now and we're kind of waiting to see what happens. Once the horses get their sea legs underneath them so far as running on it and who likes it and who doesn't we'll have a better idea of what we will be doing. We're going to start out having some starter series on it and will build up from there.”

Though racing on Tapeta will be a new wrinkle for Florida horsemen, Badgett said he has gotten nothing but positive feedback from that group.

“We just had a meeting with horsemen and they are all are extremely upbeat,” he said. “Everybody is looking forward to it. The meeting went really well and there was no negativity whatsoever.”

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