Progress in New York State

Via Press Release:

“Commissioner Crotty’s notion that we can do even more to demonstrate to the public that New York’s pari-mutuel racing is open, honest and fair is right on target,” said Commission Chairman Mark D. Gearan. “We will implement the initiatives to bring about more positive change to New York horse racing.”
Commissioner Crotty presented several changes that would be directed by the Commission. These are:

• Mandating that all individual votes by Stewards following an inquiry or an objection be maintained and disclosed
  
• Ensuring there is no communication permitted between the Stewards and jockeys, trainers, agents, or racetrack management while an inquiry or objection is being determined, unless initiated by the Stewards. If there are any such communications, there should be a publicly available record of all such contacts made
  
• Developing a centralized, public database to contain all available video of each inquiry and objection and the written rulings made by the Stewards on incidents
  

The Commission will also explore the following issues to increase transparency and accountability:

• Requiring Stewards to develop a meaningful daily, detailed racing incident report, similar to what is employed by the Hong Kong Jockey Club
  
• Create a best practices approach to adjudication and seeking to develop uniform national rules to govern disqualifications
  
• Increasing transparency through greater disclosure of wagering pools
  
• Taping or videotaping of interviews conducted by the Stewards during the course of inquiries and objections
  
• Having the Stewards maintain a record of all horses tested for drugs after a race, and publicly disclose the names of the horses
  

The Commission will also reach out to the New York State Racing Fan Advisory Council and to the wagering public to develop further recommendations on how best to increase transparency and public confidence.