71 IAC 6-1-1 General provisions

Sec. 1. (a) A registration certificate of current ownership, together with the application for transfer thereon duly endorsed by all registered owners, must be filed in the office of the racing secretary for all horses claimed within a reasonable time after the race from which the horse was claimed. (b) The price allowances that govern for claiming races must be approved by the commission. Claiming prices recorded on past performance lines in the daily race program shall not include allowances. (c) The claiming price, including any allowances, of each horse shall be printed on the official program adjacent to the horse's program number and claims shall be for the amount designated, subject to correction if printed in error. (d) In handicap claiming races, in the event of an also eligible horse moving into the race, the also eligible horse shall take the place of the horse that it replaces provided that the handicap is the same. In the event the handicap is different, the also eligible horse shall take the position on the outside of horses with a similar handicap, except when the horse that is scratched is a trailing horse, in which case the also eligible horse shall take the trailing position, regardless of its handicap. In handicap claiming races with one (1) trailer, the trailer shall be determined as the fourth best post position. (e) To be eligible to be claimed, a horse must start in the event in which it has been declared to race. For the purposes of this rule, a horse shall be deemed to have started if it is behind the gate when the field is released at the starting point by the starter. The racing secretary or his or her designee is responsible to process claims within three (3) business days from the date of which the claim occurred. (f) Any: (1) licensed owner; (2) authorized agent of a licensed owner who holds a current valid commission license; or (3) person who has properly applied for and been granted a claiming certificate; shall be permitted to claim any horse. Any person or authorized agent eligible to claim a horse shall be allowed access to the grounds of the association, excluding the paddock, in order to effect a claim at the designated place of making claims and to take possession of the horse claimed. (g) Claiming certificates expire at the end of the race meeting for which they are granted. These certificates may be applied for at the commission's licensing office no later than ninety (90) minutes prior to post time for the first race on any day of racing. To be eligible for a claiming certificate, a person must complete the licensing process as an owner under 71 IAC 5-2 and pay the appropriate fees. The photo identification badge shall be withheld until the person becomes a successful claimant. (h) A person not previously licensed by the commission within the last two (2) years must apply for a claiming certificate via fax, mail, electronically, or in person. (i) A claim shall be voided, and ownership of the horse retained by the owner at the time of entry, if a horse is a starter and the horse: (1) dies on the racetrack; or (2) suffers an injury which requires the euthanasia of the horse, as determined by an official racing veterinarian, while the horse is on the racetrack.