(1) No greyhound shall be entered or
permitted to race or to be schooled at any racetrack licensed by the Commission
unless properly registered by the National Greyhound Association of Abilene,
Kansas. The National Greyhound Association shall be recognized as the official
breeding registry of all greyhounds and the Greyhound Publications, Inc.
Information System shall be recognized as the official record keeping agency of
all grey hound performances and shall maintain the past performance lines on
every greyhound raced at an official track licensed by a Racing Jurisdiction.
The Massachusetts State Racing Commission may certify any greyhound whose lack
of registration with the approved registry is attributable to arbitrary,
discriminatory or other unreasonable action or inaction on the part of such
agencies.
(2) The registry and
record keeping agency shall be self- funding, insofar as is practicable, and
shall be authorized to charge reasonable fees for their services to attain this
objective.
(3) A greyhound shall
not be entered for racing or schooling at any official track unless it has been
tattooed and registered in the N.G.A. stud book and the last six performance
lines, if applicable, and the racing history of the greyhound are made
available to the Racing Secretary from the Greyhound Information
System.
(4) The N.G.A. breeding
registry shall furnish to the Greyhound Information System when such greyhounds
are registered and named the necessary and proper information. A reasonable fee
of 80ยข per start that was suggested by the National Association of State
Racing Commissions Greyhound Committee, shall be deducted from the weekly
purses by the track and paid to the Greyhound Information System.
(5) The Massachusetts State Racing Commission
shall have access at all times to the N.G.A. breeding Registry and transfer
files and to the Greyhound Publications, Inc. Information System.
(6) All certificates of registration must be
available at all times for inspection by the Commission Judge.
(7) All transfer of any title to, leasehold
or other interest in greyhounds schooled, entered or racing at any track under
the jurisdiction of the Commission shall be registered and recorded with the
National Greyhound Association of Abilene, Kansas.
Greyhounds that are Massachusetts bred must be registered as
Massachusetts bred greyhounds with the Massachusetts Department of Food and
Agriculture. Massachusetts bred greyhounds must have registration papers filed
at the dog track where said greyhound will participate in schooling or
pari-mutuel races. The registration papers must be stamped by the National
Greyhound Association indicating said greyhounds are registered as
Massachusetts bred.
(8) No
title, leasehold or other interest in any greyhound will be recognized by the
Commission until such title, leasehold or other interest shall be evidenced by
written instrument duly filed with and recorded by the National Greyhound
Association of Abilene, Kansas, and certified copies thereof filed with the
Commission and the Racing Secretary at the track where said greyhound is to be
schooled, entered or raced.
(9)
When a greyhound is sold with its engagements, or any part of them, the seller
cannot strike it out of any such engagements. In all cases of sales by private
treaty, the written acknowledgment of both parties that the greyhound was sold
with the engagements is necessary to entitle the seller or buyer to benefit by
this rule and if certain engagements be specified it is to be understood that
those only are sold with the greyhound; but when the greyhound is sold at
public auction the advertised conditions of the sale are sufficient evidence
and if certain engagements only be specified it is to be understood that these
only are sold with the greyhound.
(10) In case of any transfer of a greyhound
with its engagements, such greyhound will not be eligible to start in any
stakes, unless at the usual time for the running of the stakes, or prior
thereto, the transfer of the greyhound and its engagements shall be exhibited
when demanded to the Racing Secretary.
(11) If any transfer of a greyhound or
engagement is made for the purpose of avoiding disqualification, the person
making or receiving such transfer may be liable for a forfeiture, suspension or
both.
(12) All greyhounds,
including those registered in accordance with
205 CMR
5.00 as Massachusetts bred, shall be properly schooled
in the presence of the Judges and must, in the opinion of the Judges, be
sufficiently experienced before they can be entered or started in pari-mutuel
races at licensed dog tracks.
(13)
All schooling races shall be at a distance not less than the distance nearest
to 5/16 mile in use at the track.
(14) Greyhounds that transfer from one track
to another under the jurisdiction of the Commission need not school if they
have raced within ten days.
(15)
Greyhounds which transfer from a legally licensed track operating under the
jurisdiction of a qualified State Racing Commission need not school if they
have raced in an official race within ten days at said greyhound track. The
Racing Secretary in grading these greyhounds may use the grade of said
greyhounds at the track from which they are transferring.
(16) Each official schooling race must
consist of at least six greyhounds. However, if this condition creates a
hardship, less than six may be schooled with the permission of the Commission
Judge.
(17) No hand schooling will
be considered official.
(18) Any
greyhound that has not been entered for a period of six racing days and/or has
not raced for a period of ten racing days or more shall be schooled at least
once at its racing weight before being eligible for entry. A race or races
which were part of a racing program canceled will not be counted as racing day
in relation to greyhounds presently racing on the Active Racing List of
Greyhounds entered in such a racing program.
If a racing program is canceled, any greyhound eligible to race
when that program was originally drawn shall remain eligible to race under 205
CMR 5.22(18) provided the canceled program is rescheduled and subsequently run
within 72 (seventy-two) hours of its original date.
(19) All greyhounds in schooling races must
be raced at their established racing weight and started from the box wearing
blankets.
(20) Any owner, trainer,
or authorized agent licensed by the Commission who has greyhounds under his
care and management that are booked to race on tracks licensed by the
Commission, and who permits said greyhounds to be schooled on any track in
Massachusetts or elsewhere, not approved by the Commission during these
bookings shall be subject to the immediate revocation of his license.
(21) The Judges may order any greyhound on
the schooling list at any time. Any greyhound ordered on the schooling list by
the Judges must be schooled officially and satisfactorily before being allowed
to enter a race.
(22) A greyhound
which, by the decision of the Judges, falls in a race, may at the discretion of
the Judges, be required to be schooled in an official schooling race to the
satisfaction of the Judges before being allowed to enter or start.
(23) To scratch a greyhound entered in a race
sufficient cause must be given to satisfy the Judges. All scratches and the
cause must be reported immediately to the Commission Judge.
(24) Any scratches that occur that are the
result of a violation of
205 CMR
5.00 must carry a penalty and/or suspension of said
greyhound for a period of six racing days. Scratches for other causes must be
disciplined at the discretion of the Judges.
However, if any owner or trainer fails to have the greyhound
entered at the track at the appointed time for weighing in, and as a result
said greyhound is scratched the Judges shall impose a forfeiture and/or
suspension on the person responsible.
(25) If three or more greyhounds are
withdrawn or scratched in any one race, the Judges may cancel said
race.
(26) The Judges may scratch a
greyhound entered in a race for sufficient cause.