EASE OUT & SECTIONAL TIMES POLICY
Following a recent meeting with BOTRA representatives where the Sectional Time and Ease Out Policies were discussed, the relevant policies have been amended as follows. Please read the below information to familiarise yourself with the revised requirements:
Guidelines for ASSESSING EASE OUT (LR164) INCIDENTS
LR164(1) provides protection for a horse maintaining its position or making a forward move on the outside of runners until entering the front straight with a lap to go. From that point until entering the back straight on the final occasion a horse cannot be obliged to race wider than three wide.
Under LR164(2) a driver must comply with all Rules other than R163(1)(b).
It is expected however, that all drivers make forward moves with safety to ensure that their own drive and all other horses in the field obtain the best possible finishing position.
It is therefore imperative that any driver intending to change position and ease another horse and driver wider is fully aware of the positioning of their own drive relative to the horse and driver being eased wider. The driver initiating the move must always exercise due care and afford sufficient time to the other driver and horse to react to the move by only moving outwards when in a position to do so and in a gradual and reasonable manner without moving suddenly or abruptly. To achieve this requirement, the driver initiating the move must exercise the utmost care and have a clear advantage prior to commencing it. Head to head movement is discouraged as any undue pressure or jostling may result in action being taken.
For the Ease Out Policy to work effectively, the driver of the horse being eased out must also exercise due care and not resist the move when not in a position to realistically do so.
In circumstances where the driver initiating the move does so according to this policy, the driver being eased wider is expected to react by moving wider as endeavouring to resist such movement when not in a position to realistically hold the position is likely to result in action being taken against them under the rules in the event of an incident and interference resulting to either horse.
Stewards when assessing the circumstances of an incident will consider the degree of care exercised by each driver.
Basically, interference will occur for one, or more, of three reasons:
- The driver attempting to shift ground does so suddenly or abruptly, or his horse over-reacts when being taken outwards, leaving the driver of the horse he is attempting to shift insufficient time to react to the move,
- The driver of the horse being eased fails to react to the move or attempts to resist the move when not in a position to realistically do so,
- The horse being eased out does not respond to its driver’s efforts.
Any assessments by the Stewards in relation to interference will be determined on the merits of each particular case, having regard to the Australian Harness Racing Rules, the degree of care being exercised by each driver, all of the above factors and any other relevant considerations that may apply. It is entirely reasonable for a driver easing outwards with a clear advantage to expect the move to be completed without incident. If an incident occurs in those circumstances it is highly probable that either the actions of the horse or driver being eased wider were significant factors.
SECTIONAL TIMES
A sectional times policy is required for fair and competitive racing and to improve the perception of harness racing. Races run at a slow tempo through the early stages typically disadvantage horses positioned back in the field due to much faster sectionals being recorded in the last part of the race. Further, safety issues arise when horses over-race due to a slow tempo. Such reasons provide strong justification for the introduction of this policy.
POLICY OPERATION
Drivers who lead the race shall be deemed responsible for adhering to the required sectional times under HR 162(1)(y), which states;
(1) A driver shall not – (y) fail to adhere to the minimum time standards for sections of a race.
The policy will apply to horses that lead for the entire quarter. If another horse takes the lead during a quarter from another runner, the driver of the horse leading at the end of such quarter will not be penalised.
The sectional time policy will be enforced on a quarter-by-quarter basis with the focus being on the first two quarters of the last mile with the maximum sectional times for any quarter being:
- Gloucester Park and Pinjarra: 32 seconds
- Bunbury and Northam: 32.5
For all other race clubs no sectional times to apply.
- PENALTY GUIDELINES
If a driver fails to adhere to the minimum time standards without reasonable explanation, the following penalties shall apply;
Gloucester Park Prime meetings – minimum $150
Gloucester Park Tuesday and Pinjarra meetings – minimum $100
Bunbury and Northam meetings;
For races of $7500 or more – minimum $100
For races of less than $7500 – minimum $75
1.Penalties may be increased at the discretion of the Stewards in races where slower times are recorded, particularly in circumstances where slower than average lead times are run in combination with slow consecutive quarters.
2.Stewards will consider factors such as rain-affected tracks, adverse weather conditions, and any other reasons considered relevant when assessing times.
3. The policy is not applicable for trotters or 2YO races for the first 6 months of the racing season.
The above policies are effective from Monday, 21 June 2021.
Brad Lewis
Chief Steward Thoroughbred & Harness
18 June 2021
