S.I. No. 302/2007 - Greyhound Industry (Racing) Regulations, 2007

Type Statutory Instrument
Publication 2007-06-14
Last updated 2023-05-05
State Partially repealed superseded text
Text As published
articles 37

This is the act as published. Later amendments are not folded into the text below: each one is a separate act in this repository and an entry in this law's history.

9 amending acts · 2023-05-05, S.I. No. 212/2023 - Greyhound Racing (Prohibited Substances) Regulations 2023

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REGULATIONS

S.I. Number 302 of 2007

entitled

Greyhound Industry (Racing) Regulations, 2007

GREYHOUND INDUSTRY (RACING) REGULATIONS, 2007.

ARRANGEMENT OF ARTICLES

Article

1. Revocation.
2. Definitions.
3. Qualifications of greyhounds for racing.
4. Conditions of entry.
5. Racing procedure.
6. Trap draw and procedures.
7. Seeding.
8. Reserves.
9. Weight variations.
10. Withdrawal of a greyhound.
11. Declaration of “No Race”.
12. Hurdle races.
13. Division of stakes.
14. Ownership.
15. Guarding.
16. Prize money, stakes, entry fees, etc.
17. Determining the age of a greyhound.
18. Fighting.
19. Race cards.
20. Classics, Feature Events and Sweepstakes.
21. Track records.
22. Appointment of officials.
23. Duties of Racing Manager.
24. Judge.
25. Haredriver and Timekeeper.
26. The duties and powers of a Control Steward.
27. Powers of Stipendiary Stewards.
28. Stewards of the meeting.
29. Taking of samples.
30. Investigations.
31. Disputes, objections, appeals, etc.
32. Bribes and corrupt practices.
33. Greyhound race track executive.
34. Betting disputes.
35. Betting regulations.
36. Miscellaneous provisions.
37. Citation and commencement.

GREYHOUND INDUSTRY (RACING) REGULATIONS, 2007

Bord na gCon, in exercise of the powers conferred on it by Sections 25 and 48 of the Greyhound Industry Act, 1958 (No. 12 of 1958), and also by subsection (3) of Section 5 of the said Act, hereby makes the following regulations, that is to say:—

Revocation.

1.

1. The Greyhound Race Track (Racing) Regulations, 1993 and subsequent amendments thereto are hereby revoked.

Definitions.

2.

2. In these regulations, the following words and expressions have the meanings hereby assigned to them, that is to say:—

“the Act” means the Greyhound Industry Act, 1958 (No. 12 of 1958);

“the Board” means Bord na gCon, established under the Act.

“Control Committee” means the Control Committee established by the Board under the Greyhound Industry (Control Committee and Control Appeal Committee) Regulations, 2007;

“Control Appeal Committee” means the Control Appeal Committee established by the Board under the Greyhound Industry (Control Committee and Control Appeal Committee) Regulations, 2007;

“the I.C.C.” means the Irish Coursing Club.

“added money” means money contributed towards stakes, other than money contributed by the owners of greyhounds;

“advertised value” means the amount advertised to be given for a race by way of prize money;

“agent” means a person registered by the Irish Coursing Club to train and manage greyhounds for any one person only provided no fee is charged.

“arrears” means any sums unpaid in respect of entry fees, stakes or subscriptions;

“authorised officer” means a person appointed in writing by the Board to be an authorised officer for the purposes of the Act.

“control steward” means a steward appointed under permit from the Board to fulfil the duties of an authorised officer under the Act and the duties assigned under these regulations;

“cup” means any prize not given in money;

“disqualified greyhound” means a greyhound named in a disqualification order made under the Act or these regulations;

“feature event” means a race or sweepstake which has a total prize fund of at least €6,300 for a sprint event and a total prize fund of at least €10, 000 for all other events;

“fighting” means in the opinion of the majority of the Stewards acting and present the deliberate interference by a greyhound with one or more than one greyhound during a race or trial;

“graded race” means a race for which the competing dogs are selected by the racing manager in accordance with the rules of the grading system approved by the Board;

“greyhound” includes dog or bitch;

“match” means a race between two greyhounds the property of different owners and not trained by the same trainer;

“meeting” means a greyhound race meeting held at a licensed greyhound race track or at a greyhound race track operated by the Board;

“nominator” means any person other than the owner of a greyhound who nominates any greyhound entered for any race or any qualifying race or heat or for any match;

“open race” means a race open to all registered greyhounds;

“prohibited substance” means any substance which by its nature could affect the performance of a greyhound the origin of which on or in the tissues, body fluids or excreta of a greyhound could not be traced to normal and ordinary feeding. A finding of a prohibited substance means a finding of the substance itself or a metabolite of the substance or an isomer of the substance or an isomer of a metabolite.

“qualifying trial” has the meaning assigned to it in Article 3 of these regulations;

“race” means a competition on a greyhound race track licensed by the Board in which an object propelled by mechanical means is pursued by the greyhounds engaged in the competition and on the result of which a prize in money or money's worth is awarded to the winning and/or placed greyhounds;

“raced greyhound” means a greyhound which has at any time competed in a race;

“race track executive” means the licensee under the greyhound race track licence relating to a greyhound track;

“race track” means a greyhound race track licensed by the Board under the Act or a greyhound race track operated by the Board on which greyhound races are held for reward;

“reserve greyhound” means a greyhound held in reserve to replace a non-runner;

“stewards of the meeting” means the control steward and the stewards appointed by a race track executive, with the approval of the Board, to carry out such duties as may be assigned to them;

“stipendiary steward” means a steward appointed by the Board to supervise the conduct of greyhound racing and the performance of duties by duly authorised officials and stewards;

“suspended greyhound” means a greyhound suspended under these regulations for fighting or for any other reason;

“sweepstake” means an event in which the entry fees, subscriptions or other contributions of three or more owners go to the winner or placed greyhounds, whether or not a money or other prize is added;

“time of entry” means the time fixed for closing of entries.

“track” means the portion of the grounds measured or marked out for races or for any particular race;

“trial” means a test run on a greyhound race track licensed by the Board or at a greyhound race track operated by the Board in which an object propelled by mechanical means is pursued by the greyhounds taking part in the test;

“unraced greyhound” means a greyhound which has never competed in a race;

“warned-off” person means a person to whom an exclusion order under Section 47 of the Act applies;

Qualification of greyhounds for racing.

3.

3. (1) A greyhound under the age of thirteen calendar months shall not be eligible to run in any trial or race.

Conditions of entry.

4.

4. (1) The following conditions shall be observed in respect of every greyhound race and shall form part of the conditions of entry therefor:—

Racing procedure.

5.

5. (1) No person other than the racing manager, control steward, veterinary surgeon or other official having the care of the greyhounds, engaged in races shall be admitted to the kennels or kennel enclosure during racing without the prior permission of the control steward and any person refusing to leave such kennels or enclosure shall be reported to the stewards of the meeting.

Trap draw and procedures.

6.

6. (1) The draw for trap places, at which the public may be present, shall be made at the time and place designated by the Racing Manager with the consent of the Board. Where there are five runners, trap 4 shall be vacant; where there are four runners traps 2 and 5 shall be vacant; where there are three runners traps 1, 3, 5 shall be vacant; where there are two runners traps, 1, 3, 5 and 6 shall be vacant.

Seeding.

7.

7. (1) A greyhound classified as a seeded Wide Runner in any race indicated on the race card and published programme by a ‘W’ against its name or against the trap number shall be a greyhound which in the opinion of the Racing Manager, in consultation with the Control Steward, is best suited to starting outside runners not so classified.

Reserves.

8.

8. (1) A reserve greyhound may take the place of a greyhound not declared at time of kennelling (viz. half an hour before the start of racing). A reserve shall not replace a withdrawn greyhound if that should entail a Wide Runner starting inside any runner not so classified, a Middle Runner starting outside a Wide Runner or inside an unseeded runner, and an unseeded runner starting outside a Wide or Middle Runner.

Weight variations.

9.

9. (1) The racing manager shall ensure that:—

Withdrawal of a greyhound.

10.

10. (1) No greyhound shall be withdrawn after being weighed in save with the permission of the stewards.

Declaration of “No Race”.

11.

11. (1) The stewards of the meeting may declare a “No Race” only in the following circumstances:—

Hurdle races.

12.

12. (1) In hurdle races of over 400 yards, at least four flights of hurdles shall be jumped. In races of 400 yards and under, a minimum of three hurdles shall be jumped. In the event of a hurdle being knocked down, it shall be replaced if time permits, but irrespective of whether it is replaced or not, the result of the race shall be allowed to stand, even if advantage is taken of a gap so caused.

Division of stakes.

13.

13. (1) If in a race a greyhound runs out of the course, it shall forfeit all rights in that race. However, it shall be entitled to any unplaced prize money.

Ownership.

14.

14. (1) A greyhound shall run in the name or names of its registered owner or owners, who shall be the bona fide owner or owners or part owners and shall not be entered in the name of any person as its owner unless that person's interest or property in the greyhound is at least equal to that of any other person.

Guarding.

15.

15. Where two or more greyhounds registered in the same ownership or in the same partnership are entered for an event with eliminating heats the greyhounds shall be guarded by the race track executive as far as possible throughout the event but this provision shall not apply where one or more of such greyhounds listed as reserves replace withdrawn greyhounds.

Prize money, stakes, entry fees, etc.

16.

16. (1) All stakes and prize money payable shall, as far as practicable, be paid to the respective winners not later than the 15^th day of the month following the month in which such stakes or prize money were won.

Determining the age of a greyhound.

17.

17. For the purposes of these regulations:—

Fighting.

18.

18. (1) Should a raced greyhound in the opinion of the majority of the stewards present and acting, be deemed to have fought in a trial or race, such greyhound shall be suspended and its identity card impounded and marked “suspended for fighting”. Should an unraced greyhound, in the opinion of the majority of the stewards present and acting, be deemed to have fought in a trial, such greyhound shall be suspended and its identity card impounded.

Race Cards.

19.

19. (1) Every race track executive shall publish a race card of an approved type in respect of every meeting held at the greyhound race track operated by such executive and shall state thereon that every such meeting is held under these regulations and that the track is licensed by the Board.

.07 sec. - 1 length,

.05 sec. - ¾ length,

.03 sec. - ½ length,

.02 sec. - Nk.

.01 sec. - Hd., Sh. Hd.

Classics, Feature Events and Sweepstakes.

20.

20. (1) The Board shall publish prior to the commencement of every racing season a list of the events to be known as Classics and Feature Events and shall decide the dates, venues and manner in which such events shall be run. No race track executive may, without the previous permission of the Board, promote a race or sweepstake of an advertised value of more than €1000 (one thousand euro) to the winner during any period fixed for the running of a Classic or Feature Event.

Track records.

21.

21. (1) A track record at a particular track by any greyhound for any approved distance shall mean the fastest time taken by any greyhound to cover such distance at that track provided:—

Appointment of officials.

22.

22. (1) Subject to the provisions of the Greyhound Race Track (Permits for Persons performing Specified Functions) Regulations, 1970 (No. 289 of 1970), the following officials shall be appointed for every greyhound race track, viz. racing manager, judge, timekeeper, control steward, and haredriver.

Duties of Racing Manager.

23.

23. (1) The racing manager shall ensure that a muzzle and a clean coloured, numbered sheet as approved by the Board is worn by every greyhound competing in a race or trial. The colours of the numbered sheets shall be as follows:—

1 Red 3 White 5 Orange

2 Blue 4 Black 6 White & Black Stripes.

Judge.

24.

24. (1) (a) The judge shall occupy the judge's box for the duration of each race of a meeting. Unless the stewards of the meeting decide otherwise, the judge shall indicate to them the order of finish. The numbers of at least the first three greyhounds in the order of finish shall be publicly shown and publicly announced. The winning time and the distances between the competing greyhounds shall also be publicly announced.

“For technical reasons, the result cannot be ascertained by photo-finish print. The judge's decision is ......”

Haredriver and Timekeeper.

25.

25. (1) The haredriver shall take his orders from and be responsible to the racing manager and no one else other than the stewards of the meeting shall have any contact with him while he is on duty. He shall not leave the control tower during the meeting without the consent of the racing manager.

The duties and powers of a Control Steward.

26.

26. (1) The control steward shall check markings of each greyhound at the weigh-in and before each trial and race and, having identified the greyhound, shall append his signature to the identity card opposite the relevant entry in that card relating to the greyhound's participation in such trial or race, except as otherwise approved by the Board.

Powers of Stipendiary Stewards.

27.

27. (1) A stipendiary steward may supervise greyhound racing, trials and sales and may investigate any occurrence brought to his notice in relation to any matter connected with the greyhound industry. He shall have free access to all parts of the track and to all records relating to the running or sale of greyhounds.

Stewards of the meeting.

28.

28. (1) There shall be at least three acting stewards for every meeting, who shall be present from the start of kennelling until after the last race. There shall also be a paddock attendant or attendants who shall supervise the racing kennels and paddock from the start of kennelling until after the last race.

Surgeon and if they think it desirable may cause an investigation to be held; but no such investigation may be held unless the control steward is present.

Taking of samples.

29.

29. (1) The stewards of the meeting shall have power at any time to order an examination by a Veterinary Surgeon of any greyhound entered for a race or which has run in a race.

nominated by the owner, trainer or their agents or any other person in charge of the greyhound, the cost of such analysis to be borne by the owner of the greyhound in question. The result of all analyses of samples taken shall be made available to the Control Committee and also to the owner and trainer of such greyhound.

Investigations.

30.

30. (1) No person having any interest in or connection with any greyhound which is the subject to any investigation duly initiated under the Act or under these regulations may effect any transfer of ownership of greyhounds pending the result of such investigation.

Disputes, objections, appeals, etc.

31.

31. (1) Any action taken by the stewards of the meeting under Article 30 of these regulations may be subject to appeal to the Control Committee so far as relates to points involving the interpretation of these regulations or to any question other than a question of fact on which there shall be no appeal unless by leave of the stewards of the meeting.

Bribes and corrupt practices.

32.

32. (1) An Exclusion Order may be applied to any person:—

Greyhound race track executive.

33.

33. (1) Every race track executive shall ensure that:—

Betting disputes.

34.

34. (1) Inquiries or complaints concerning betting transactions with bookmakers (including levy deductions made by them) shall be referred to the Board's levy collector at the track concerned. Complaints shall be made in writing in the form prescribed by the Board.

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