"Anabolic Androgenic Steroid Clearing Certificate" means a certificate from a person or drug testing laboratory approved by the Controlling Body certifying that a sample is free of anabolic androgenic steroids or that any anabolic androgenic steroids that are present are at or below the relevant concentration set out in Rule 188A(2).

"Approved Instrument" (repealed, HRA approved 01.06.2022)

“Approved Method” means an analytical method that the National Association of Testing Authorities (NATA) has formally recognised as capable of meeting the competency requirements to produce reliable technical results when used by the drug testing laboratory approved by the Controlling Body.

"Artificial breeding station" means a place where artificial breeding is attempted or carried on.

“Australian bred” means a foal that is registered in Australia and is the progeny of a mare registered in the Australian Trotting Stud Book domiciled in Australia at the time of service by a stallion registered in the Australian Trotting Stud Book at the time of service.

“Australian Trotting Stud Book” or “Stud Book” means the annual Stud Book comprising a record of all Standardbreds active in breeding and racing and all horses named subsequent to the publication of the previous Stud Book together with such information and records deemed necessary by the Keeper of the Stud Book.

"Authorised agent" and "Authorised person" means a person recognised as such by the Controlling Body.

"Bet" or "betting" means to make either directly or indirectly a monetary investment on the outcome of a race. 

"Birdcage" means an enclosure or place on a racecourse where horses are stabled, marshalled or paraded for events.

"Body" includes a corporation, a body corporate, an unincorporated association and a recognised harness racing authority.

“Breeder” means:

(a)  In the case of a foal which is the result of an embryo transfer, the registered owner or lessee of the donor mare at the time the embryo is flushed from such donor mare and impregnated into a recipient mare.

(b)  In all other cases, the registered owner or lessee of the dam at the time of last date of service.

“Breeding Season” means the period commencing 1 September in a calendar year and ending 31 August in the following calendar year.

"Competing" for the purposes of insurance has the following applications -

a driver, who is not also the trainer of a horse or the trainer’s agent, is deemed to be competing in a race from the time that the driver first sits in the sulky of the horse for the purpose of parading the horse for the race until the reins of the horse are taken by the trainer or the trainer’s agent following the finish of a race;

a driver, who is also the trainer of a horse or the trainer’s agent, is deemed to be competing in a race from the time that the driver first sits in the sulky of the horse for the purpose of parading the horse for the race until the horse leaves that part of the racecourse on which the race takes place following the finish of the race.

“Connections” includes the persons who are the owners or lessees of a horse or who otherwise have a legal interest in it, a trainer, a manager of a syndicate, a joint ownership manager, a stud master, and the authorised agents of such persons.

“Co-owner” means a natural person who owns a horse together with at least one other natural person and is registered or is intended to be registered with a Controlling Body as an owner.

“Controlling Body”  means

(a)  Save and except for paragraph (b) an organisation which by convention, recognition or law is or is deemed to be in control of harness racing in a State or Territory of Australia or in part of or the whole of a country; and

(b)  in respect of the State of Queensland, the Racing Queensland Board unless a rule provides for the Controlling Body to perform a function that is a function of the Queensland Racing Integrity Commission under the Racing Integrity Act 2016 (Qld) in which case the Queensland Racing Integrity Commission must perform the function.

"Determination" includes requirements, orders, directions, decisions, and the like, made, given or imposed on or about any subject matter, person, group or class of persons, or any club, organisation or body, with or without sanctions attaching thereto.

"Disqualification" means a penalty that imposes the restrictions contained in Part 16.

"Driver" means a person who is on a racecourse, racetrack or a registered or unregistered training track for the purpose of driving or riding a horse.

“Drug of Abuse” (repealed, approved 11.12.2015)

"Family interest" refers to a situation other than a bet on a horse in a race, where if a steward or handicapper were to exercise a power under the rules, the spouse, domestic partner, parent, sibling or child of, or person residing with, the steward or handicapper would have, or be likely to have, a financial or other significant interest in the outcome.

“Foal Died” is a foal that is still born, dies during birth or does not stand and suckle after birth. 

“Foreign horse” means a horse foaled outside Australia which is not Australian bred. 

"Handicapper" means a person appointed by the Controlling Body to handicap.

"Harness racing association" or "association" means any organisation which represents harness racing clubs or other bodies which promote or conduct races or meetings.

“Harness Racing Australia” or “HRA” is the body which on 1 March 2008 replaced the Australian Harness Racing Council being the body incorporated in accordance with the Australian Capital Territory Associations Ordinance 1953 under the name Australian Harness Racing Council Incorporated.

"Harness racing club" or "club" means any body, other than a Controlling Body, which promotes or conducts races or meetings.

"Horse" means a horse bred, cared for, managed, trained, raced or otherwise dealt with for purposes connected with the harness racing industry.

"Jurisdiction" means that country or State or Territory of Australia in which a Controlling Body or recognised harness racing authority has by law the power to control and regulate harness racing.

“Keeper of the Stud Book” is the person appointed by Harness Racing Australia to keep records of sires, mares and foalings and to publish annual editions of the Australian Trotting Stud Book in accordance with the Stud Book Regulations.

"Legal Practitioner" means a person who has been admitted to practice law pursuant to the relevant Statute of a Controlling Body jurisdiction. 

"Licence" includes permit

"Live Foal” is a foal that stands and suckles after birth.

"List" means the unpaid forfeit list except where some other list is identified in the rules.

"Log Book" means any book or register including an electronic format used for the purposes of recording the information required by Rule 190B.

"Meeting" means a meeting at which harness racing horses race or participate in events or were scheduled to do so and includes official trials and training at tracks registered by a Controlling Body.

"Person" includes an individual, a syndicate, a corporation, a body corporate, and an unincorporated association.

"Place" means the official finishing position of a horse in a race. 

"Racecourse" or "course" means a place at which harness racing horses race or participate in events, and includes all the land and improvements - such as stands, seats, stables, enclosures, rooms, offices, betting and recreational areas, carparks - used in connection with the conduct or observation of races, meetings or events by persons engaged in the harness racing industry or by members of the public.

"Race day" or "day of the race" means the period commencing at midnight on the day of the race for which the horse is nominated and concluding at the time the horse is lawfully removed from the racecourse after competing in the race for which it was nominated. 

"Racetrack" or "track" means that part of a racecourse on which harness racing horses race.

"Racing year" means the period commencing 1st January in a calendar year and concluding on 31st December in the same year.

"Recognised harness racing authority" means Harness Racing Australia and any organisation accepted by the Controlling Body as controlling the harness racing industry in a State or Territory of Australia or in part of or the whole of a country.

“Registered” or “Registration” in relation to a horse or other person or thing means registered or registration under the Stud Book Regulations or the Rules in force as at the time of registration.

“Registered training establishment” means a property approved by a Controlling Body to be used for the purposes of conducting harness racing activities.

“Registrar” is the person appointed by Harness Racing Australia to supervise the allocation of names of sires, dams and progeny.

“Registration Certificate” means a registration certificate issued either by the Controlling Body or Harness Racing Australia.

"Reprimand" includes caution and means an official censure or rebuke. 

“Rules” or “these Rules” means the Australian Harness Racing Rules and, as the context requires, the Stud Book Regulations.

“Sample” means a sample or specimen of saliva, urine, perspiration, breath, blood, tissue, skin, hair or any other excretion, bodily fluid, tissue or matter taken from a person or horse.

"Semen" includes frozen, and chilled semen.

"Sprint Lane" means a clearly identified inward expansion of the inside of the straight immediately preceding the winning post.

"Standardbred" when used with reference to a horse means a horse which is the progeny of a registered Standardbred sire and a registered Standardbred dam.

“Start” – The Start means the point at which the starter declares by whatever means determined by the Controlling Body the commencement of the race.

"Stewards" means stewards appointed under these rules.

"Stud" means a place where the breeding of horses is attempted or carried on.

“Stud Book Regulations” or “SBR” means regulations made from time to time by Harness Racing Australia entitled ‘Australian Trotting Stud Book Regulations’ or some adaptation thereof.

"Suffering" means to intentionally hurt or cause pain, distress or hardship to a horse. 

“Suspension”-

(i)  In relation to a licensed person means the temporary or permanent withdrawal of all rights provided by any licence issued by a Controlling Body.

(ii)  In relation to a horse means the temporary or permanent withdrawal of its right to participate in any race.

(iii) In relation to a non-licensed person means the temporary or permanent withdrawal of a right to participate in a facet of the Harness Racing Industry. 

"Swab" means the taking, or a procedure for the taking, of blood, urine, saliva, or other matter or sample or specimen from a horse for the purpose of testing for the presence of a prohibited substance and "positive swab" means that the swab, when tested, reveals such a presence.

"Trainer" includes a person who though not holding a licence granted under these rules trains a horse or does other things which are only done or usually done by trainers.

"Training" includes the preparation, education and exercising of a horse to race, but not the mere process of keeping a horse in good health.

"Training Track" means a track that is registered with a Controlling Body and authorised for use as a training track for horses.