Section 183.63. Procedure of judges

It shall be the procedure of the Judges to:

(1) Be in the stand 15 minutes before the first race and remain in the stand for ten minutes after the last race and at all times when the horses are upon the track.

(2) Observe the preliminary warming up of the horses and scoring, noting the behavior of horses, lameness, equipment, conduct of drivers, changes in odds and any unusual incident pertaining to horses or drivers participating in races.

(3) Have the bell rung or give other notice at least 10 minutes before a race or heat. Any driver failing to obey this summons may be punished and his horse may be ruled out by the Judges and considered drawn.

(4) Designate one of their members to lock the pari-mutuel machines immediately upon the horses reaching the official starting point. The presiding judge shall designate the post time for each race and the horses will be called at such time as to preclude excessive delay after the completion of scoring.

(5) Be in communication with the patrol judges where patrol judges are used, by use of telephonic or radio devices, from the time the starter picks up the horses until the finish of the race. Any violation or near violation of the rules shall be reported by the patrol judge witnessing the incident and written record made of same. The judges assigned to the starting gate shall be in telephonic or radio communication with the judges’ stand.

(6) Post the objection sign, or inquiry sign, on the odds board in the case of a complaint or possible rule violation, and immediately notify the announcer of the objection and of the horse or horses involved. As soon as the judges have made a decision, the objection sign shall be removed, the correct placing displayed and the ‘‘Official’’ sign flashed. The ‘‘Official’’ sign shall not be displayed until all horses and drivers of the race have returned to the place designated by the judges and saluted. Horses and drivers unable to finish the race are excepted. In all instances the judges shall post the order of finish and the official sign as soon as they have made their decision.

(7) Display the photo sign if the order of finish among the contending horses is less than half-length or a contending horse is on a break at the finish. The Judges shall examine the photo and after a decision is made, a copy or copies shall be made, checked by the presiding judge, and posted for public inspection.

(8) Sign the judges’ book after each race, verifying the correctness of the record by the clerk of the course.