Jack Shinar 9y

CHRB to review interference rule

Horse Racing

Following the controversial non-call in the $5 million Breeders' Cup Classic, the California Horse Racing Board appears ready to change the rule that led to the decision. But it may take awhile.

After a discussion of the rule in question that governs what merits disqualification during the meeting Nov. 19 at the Del Mar satellite wagering facility, chairman Chuck Winner referred the matter to the CHRB's legislative committee. It is to be brought back to the full board at a future meeting with recommendations for changes after being aired at the committee level.

Santa Anita Park stewards came under heavy fire after it reviewed the running of the 1-1/4-mile Classic Nov. 1, in which eventual winner Bayern interfered with favorite Shared Belief to his inside shortly after the start. Shared Belief finished fourth.

Though conceding the obvious interference, stewards found the incident happened at a point of the race that did not affect the final position where Shared Belief "might reasonably be expected to finish."

Winner and other commissioners said they were bombarded by angry callers in the immediate aftermath of the ruling. But the chairman said the stewards were only interpreting the race in the way the rules required.

"No matter what decision they would have made, they would have been wrong," Winner said. "If there's a problem, it isn't with the stewards, it's with the rule."

The other commissioners that spoke were in general agreement with Winner, and hoped that a way could be found to produce a rule that would lead to more consistent decisions.

Winner noted that horse racing stewards are constantly required to make judgement calls that determine the outcome of athletic contests, unlike arbiters in other sports whose decisions rarely carry such weight.

Commissioner George Krikorian said he read rules covering interference and disqualifications from all 33 racing jurisdictions in the United States and "they all have different rules," which he said only adds to the confusion.

"I think what we all want to see is consistency," Winner said. "We're going to do the best we can to come up with a solution."

Elsewhere, the board spent much of its 3-1/2-hour meeting discussing issues connected to account deposit wagering before giving two-year contract extensions to five companies doing business in the state: TVG, Xpressbet, Lien Games Racing, Watch and Wager, and TwinSpires. The approvals were contingent on completion of several outstanding documents, such as horsemen's agreements, that must be in place before Jan. 1.

Mark Thurman, who manages the California Horse Racing Information Management Systems, complained that several companies were not meeting their obligation to provide daily wagering data in a timely and accurate manner, causing problems throughout the industry. Thurman noted that ADW companies now take in more than 20% of handle on California racing, making it a vital component in racetrack account management.

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