Model Thoroughbred Racing Association

Rules and Regulations

Adopted June 29, 2005; Revised June 19, 2007

1. Horses raced with MTRA must be registered in accordance with the rules stated elsewhere in this document.
2. Horses entered into the races run by MTRA members must be owned by current MTRA members.
3. The races will be run by MTRA members (called stewards) according to a general set of rules, which will be outlined later, although each steward will determine specific rules for his or her track and each steward will be able to develop his or her own method of determining pre-race points and racing points that will be awarded to the horses entering the races.
4. All horses involved with MTRA will age each year, just like real horses. As such, they will be retired from racing, pensioned, and eventually “die.”
5. Stewards will not be allowed to enter their own race meets.
6. All race meets will accept both email and postal mail entries.
7. You must be a member of MTRA in order to participate in any of its activities such as holding or entering race meets, consigning horses to or buying horses from MTRA auctions, registering horses, voting, etc.

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Membership

Anyone who is interested in simulated thoroughbred racing is welcome to join. Although MTRA is not totally an internet or cyber-based group, although anyone joining should be aware that the majority of members are online and that most of the club’s business will probably be conducted online via the group’s email group, mtra@yahoogroups.com
   All members are encouraged to subscribe to the email group if at all possible. Currently there are no dues required of MTRA members.

   NOTE: Just joining the email group does not automatically make you a member of MTRA. Please contact Daralyn Wallace at RaunFalcon@aol.com if you wish to become a member. She maintains the official membership list. As of June 25, 2005 , the group has not determined if there will be a membership fee. If it does, this information will be added to this document.

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Recognition of Registration Records from Other Organizations

All horses owned by members of MTRA that were previously registered with the Model Racing Forum (MRF) and the North American Model Thoroughbred Breeders Association (NAMTOBA), and the Express group may be grandfathered in and are eligible to be registered with MTRA.
   NOTE: In the case of duplicate names among horses from the three different registries, each horse with a duplicate name will have a letter added to its name to indicate that it was previously registered with one of those groups. For example, if three horses named “Georgia” were to be submitted for MTRA registration and all three were previously registered with the MRF, NAMTOBA, or the Express, then they would be registered as follows, with a letter following their registration number to indicate which group they came from:

         Georgia M (The M means it was previously registered with the MRF.)
         Georgia N (The N means it was previously registered with NAMTOBA.)
         Georgia X (The X means it was previously registered with the Express.)

Horses will also be issued their own MTRA registration number, such as TNR# 101 (TNR stands for Thoroughbred Name Registry.) However, once these horses are registered, no new horse may be registered as “Georgia”. Duplicate names are allowed ONLY if the horse is being grandfathered in and was previously registered with one of the other registries.

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Recognition of Racing Records from Other Organizations

Background information
Generally, the MRF, NAMTOBA, and the Express run their races similar to the way that MTRA plans to run its races, in a realistic manner with the winners of the races determined by calculating pre-race points and adding the points to dice rolls.

1. Neither the MRF nor the Express allow race stewards to enter their own races. Both the MRF and the Express allow members to enter their horses into any race they wish, with no rule that states a horse must enter certain types of races (i.e., a maiden, allowance, or a stakes) based on its racing record.
2. NAMTOBA differs in that it does allow stewards to enter its own meets and that it does have a system that requires a horse to move up to different races based on its racing record.
3. MTRA will not be allowing stewards to enter their own races, nor will it have a system in place that dictates to owners what type or level races their horses may enter. Stewards may, of course, design race cards with races that have certain conditions (such as maidens, fillies and mares only, 2 yr olds only, etc.) but owners will not be forced to advance a horse to stakes competition if it wins a certain number of allowances, etc. The only exception is that winners may not enter any races restricted to maidens (non-winners) only.
4. The organizations from which MTRA will accept past records include: the MRF, the Express, and NAMTOBA, as well as these older organizations which are no longer in existence: Blood Horse Seminar, IMTBR, MTAR, SAA, AA, TOBA, NAMT, MARA’s ABC division, and TMHA. All of these clubs practiced realistic type racing as defined by MTRA. Any change in this list of accepted past records will require a majority vote by the membership.

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Race Records of Sires and Dams

MTRA has decided that the past race records for the PARENTS (which did not race in MTRA) of a horse may be counted and noted in the sire and dam summaries on race cards. This will enable race stewards to calculate pre-race points for a runner by noting if the sire or dam is a SW, MSW, CH, etc. Because each individual steward is responsible for creating his/her own pre-race point system, he or she will also be responsible for determining how many points these sires and dams (which did not race in MTRA) will receive at his or her track.
   
NOTE 1: The group in which the sire or dam raced must be stated in the pedigree summary. For example, if you have a runner that had a sire raced with the MRF, and a dam raced with NAMTOBA, you would write the pedigree summary something like this (does not have to be exact--just easy for the steward to tell which is which):

   S: MR BIG STUD (Megasire X Megadam, Superstudly)
    ~ MRF MSW/CH, sire of MRF MSWs SPIFFY, NEATO, and GEORGIA, MSpW Webster, and winners Calculus and Vital.
    He is also the sire of MTRA MSWs JETLAG and WALKER , and winner New Times.
   D: MS WONDER MARE (Topsire X Goodmom, Fabstud)
    ~ NAMTOBA MSW/CH, dam of NAMTOBA MSW DESKJET, and MTRA SW JETLAG.

NOTE 2: The MRF did recognize racing records from a few other clubs which operated their tracks realistically (i.e. did not use the pull names from a hat method but used some sort of point system or game system). Before there was an MRF, there was the BHS (Blood Horse Seminar), which evolved from-and-as a consolidation of several 1970's and 1980's clubs. These were IMTBR, MTAR, SAA, AA, TOBA, and NAMT. Those records are accepted in MRF racing, along with BHS records. MTRA will also accept the past racing records from those clubs for older horses now used as breeding stock in MTRA. The records of MARA/ABC and TMHA will also be accepted. All of these clubs practiced realistic type racing. The only type of records which will not be acceptable are those records in which the races were not run realistically (as defined by the way MTRA runs its races).

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Race Records of Horses Currently Racing

MTRA recognizes that as a group that is just forming, some of its members may be bringing in horses of racing age that have MRF, NAMTOBA, or Express racing records. Therefore, race records from other clubs (see the list above) that were earned before the member joined MTRA will be honored, with the following conditions:

1. Once a horse begins running in MTRA sponsored races, it may not be raced in another club during the same year. Owners are free to race different horses in different clubs, but the same horse must be campaigned in only one club at a time; i.e. a horse may not race in the MRF one month, change and race with MTRA the next month, then change and race with NAMTOBA, etc.
2. All records from other groups should be noted by year and group on the horse’s race card (see sample below).
3. Horses that have won a race in another group may not start over as maidens in MTRA races.
4. Stewards will be able to decide for themselves if they will give full, ¾ or ½ half points to race wins and placings from races run by organizations other than MTRA. Stewards are required to note in their track descriptions how they plan to count these points.

Example Race Card showing how to note results from different clubs, (This runner and her results are made up, but her parents are owned by Daralyn Wallace and are registered with other groups and with MTRA.)

CLIFF NOTES LINE:
LIBERTYS SISTER (DGW) 01 Bay Mare/ MAW (D’Avenant X Keeping The Faith, Fantastic) Br: Starhold Farm, TX

LIBERTYS SISTER 2001 Bay Thoroughbred Filly, TNR# XXXX (4 yrs) Bred/Owned/Trained by Starhold Farm, TX Daralyn Wallace Jockey: Damian Sciarrino Sire: D’AVENANT (WRACK [ITY] X Scullery Maid, DR FAGER) MRF MSW $494,628; (9) 4-3-1-0 (all were stakes). D’AVENANT was a dedicated frontrunner, & scored all but one of his four wins in wire-to-wire fashion. Sire of Express MSW COWGIRL MOUNT, and MSpW Azure Avenger as well as several Express winners. WRACK is sire of 70+ SW’s, 37 CH’s, 3+ HOTYs with the MRF. Dam: Keeping The Faith (Fantastic, by Alydar X Hold It, Hard To Keep Back) MRF: 3/16 (3-2-1-4) SW Express: 5 (3-1-0) SW/si-97 $9856. Dam of 3 foals, no reports on their race records. D/o Liberty’s Sister, Express Mdn & Alw wnr, and MTRA alw wnr. Lifetime RR: (5) 3-1-0-1 Multi Alw Wnr, $5700 2004 (Express): (4) 2-1-0-1 Mdn & Alw wnr, si 93 ROM $3200 3/5/04 SFD (fast) Mdn 3/up QHs & TBs 660y ~ pp2, 122#, 1st of 6 by ½L, on heels of pacesetter for most of race, took off just before the wire $1000 5/10/04 RFD (muddy) Alw 3/up QHs & TBs 660y ~ pp5, 124#, 4th of 10 by 1L, midpack early, blocked when ready to move $250 7/4/04 RFD (fast) Alw 3/up QHs & TBs 870y ~ pp3, 124#, 1st of 8 by 2L, stalked pacesetter, pulled away  & looking for more race $750 2005 (MTRA): (1) 1-0-0-0 Alw wnr $2500 7/25/04 CRR (fast) Alw Sprint 4/up F/M 6f ~ pp3, 128#, 1st of 7 by 1L, midpack at the half, moved up fast in the stretch to grab the win $2500 Trainer’s Notes: (quarter-cup blinkers) Consistent running, likes to stalk or press the pace and moves up fast in the stretch to overtake tiring leader(s). With her last two wins in allowance competition looking so good, we are going to give her a shot a stakes race today.

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Registration

As stated, all horses must be registered in order to particulate in MTRA races. It is also recommended that you register all of your breeding stock. To register your horses, send the following information to our Registrar, Daralyn Wallace, at RaunFalcon@aol.com
Please use -R or -r or ® to indicate that any real horses in the registration application.

Horse’s Name (include 3 Choices in case your first choice is taken)
Year Foaled, Color, Gender
Sire’s Name (His Sire X Dam, Dam’s Sire)
Dam’s Name (Her Sire X Dam, Dam’s Sire)
Breeder, State (or Country if not the USA )
Owner’s Name
Previously registered with: (State which clubs or give registration numbers for breeding stock and runners already registered with the MRF, NAMTOBA, or the Express)

1. MTRA follows a modified form of the Jockey Club naming rules.

a. Names must not be longer than 18 letters including spaces and punctuation (unless the horse has already been registered with a name longer than that in another club).

b. Names may not consist of initials such as C.O.D., F. O. B., etc. Names cannot end in filly, colt, stud, mare, stallion, or any other horse-related term. Initials at the beginning of a horse’s name, such as used for A.P. Indy, are permissible. Although the real Jockey Club does not allow the use of stable names, MTRA will allow the use of stable initials used before the horse’s name, such as S.F. Golden Star.

c. Names cannot consist entirely of numbers. Numbers above thirty may be used if spelled out. Names can’t end in 2nd, 3rd, etc. (i.e. no Man O’War 2nd).

d. You cannot use the names of famous people or famous horses, or of race tracks, graded stakes, or real stables, etc. It is also not allowed to alter the spelling of a famous real horse (i.e., no Mann O Warr).

e. Trade names such as Coca Cola, Dr Pepper, or other commercial brand names are not allowed, nor are copyrighted material, titles of books, plays, motion pictures, popular songs, etc., unless the applicant furnishes the registrar with proof that the copyright has been abandoned or that such material has not been used within the last five years.

f. Names that are suggestive or have a vulgar or obscene meaning; names considered in poor taste; or names that may be offensive to religious, political or ethnic groups are not allowed. At this time, the Registrar determines what is considered offensive. However, if the Registrar and the member trying to register a horse disagree, then the member may petition the membership and a majority vote will determine if the name is or is not offensive.

g. You may not use the names of real horses in racing’s Hall of Fame, HOTY, Eclipse, Sovereign Award, or annual leading sires or broodmares, or horses that have won $2 million or more, winners of major stakes races, or horses on the International List of Protected Names.

h. You CAN use the names of deceased real horses if that horse was a gelding or never used for breeding, and it is preferred that the horse be deceased for at least 5 years, UNLESS that real horse is covered by rule 1-G above.

i. To see what names are currently NOT eligible, you can go to the Jockey Club (USA) web site: http://www.jockeyclub.com/ and then click on the highlighted link for the registry and check out the Online Names Book, and the Recently Released Names links.


2. COLOR GUIDE -- The following colors are recognized by The Jockey Club. MTRA will recognize these designations, but encourages its members to be realistic when listing a horse’s color. You do not have to put “bay/brown.” You may be specific and put bay, brown, or buckskin, whichever is the most correct.

a. Bay: The entire coat of the horse may vary from a yellow-tan to a bright auburn. The mane, tail and lower portion of the legs are always black, unless white markings are present.

b. Black: The entire coat of the horse is black, including the muzzle, the flanks, the mane, tail and legs, unless white markings are present.

c. Chestnut: The entire coat of the horse may vary from a red-yellow to a golden-yellow. The mane, tail and legs are usually variations of the coat color, unless white markings are present.

d. Dark Bay/Brown: The entire coat of the horse will vary from a brown, with areas of tan on the shoulders, head and flanks, to a dark brown, with tan areas seen only in the flanks and/or muzzle. The mane, tail and lower portion of the legs are always black, unless white markings are present.

e. Gray/Roan: The Jockey Club has combined these colors into one color category. This does not change the individual definitions of the colors for gray and roan and in no way impacts on the two-coat color inheritance principle as stated in rules 2-F and 2-G below. (See MTRA rule #3 below for some notes about roan coloring.)

f. Gray: The majority of the coat of the horse is a mixture of black and white hairs. The mane, tail and legs may be either black or gray, unless white markings are present.

g. Roan: The majority of the coat of the horse is a mixture of red and white hairs or brown and white hairs. The mane, tail and legs may be black, chestnut or roan, unless white markings are present. (See MTRA rule #3 below for some notes about roan coloring.)

h. Palomino: The entire coat of the horse is golden-yellow, unless white markings are present. The mane and tail are usually flaxen.

i. White: A rare color not to be confused with the colors gray or roan. The entire coat, including the mane, tail and legs, is white and no other color should be present.

NOTE: All white horses are really going to be almost totally white sabinos. See Rule 3 below for notes on sabinos.


3. MTRA members do try to use realistic color genetics for their horses, so please try to follow color genetics rules.
For example, a palomino horse must have at least one parent carrying the créme gene. Thoroughbreds do have the créme gene, which can result in palominos or buckskins, cremellos, perlinos, smokey blacks, and smokey crémes. They do not have the dun gene, so there cannot be any type of duns.
  The only type of pinto that occurs in TBs is the sabino overo gene, so there are no tobianos, splash, etc. A sabino TB can have so much white on it that it appears to be totally white, but there will be at least one spot of color somewhere on the horse. There are some TBS with the sabino gene that look similar to frame overo, but so far it hasn’t been proven that true frame overo exists.
  The only type of roan that actually occurs in the breed is the rabicano roan gene, which results in scattered roaning over the horse, but which does not produce a true dark headed roan such as is seen in Quarter Horses.
  In addition, there have been a few brindle TBs, and there are the “birdcatcher” spots. However, if you pedigree a horse with one of the unusual colors, it should most likely have a parent or grandparent which carried the brindle or birdcatcher spots. Keep in mind that the majority of racing Thoroughbreds are plain colors, though you are finding more sabinos being raced.

[There is a theory that all white markings are actually caused by the sabino gene, but that has not been proven yet.) If you have any questions about color genetics, just ask on the email list and there will be plenty of members who can help you. This is a web site that shows unusual TB colors: http://www.angelfire.com/on3/TrueColoursFarm/Cool_and_Unusual_Thoroughbreds.html]

4. If a live/real horse is used as the dam, the mare must have an open year (no foal, was not bred, barren, or the foal died) in order to be used. The foal that you wish to register from the real mare must be registered with our RMR (Real Mare Registry). At this time, our RMR registrar is the same as the regular registrar, so you may send your RMR requests to Daralyn Wallace (RaunFalcon@aol.com) with your registration requests. Horses that need RMR numbers CANNOT race before their RMR number is granted, nor should you race foals produced from horses that need RMR numbers until those numbers are granted.

5. If live parents are used for a model horse they must fit real life time constraints on the real horse, i.e. you cannot use a sire/dam BEFORE he/she entered stud while he/she was still racing, or a pensioned horse, or a dead horse.

6. You cannot use a real horse for a sire/dam if they are sterile in real life (i.e. Cigar) or if they died before they had a chance to produce a foal (i.e. Ruffian, Go For Wand, Swale, etc.). In the case of some real horses that DID produce foals but had fertility problems, you can see if there is an open year during the time the horse was being bred. Often horses with fertility problems with sired a few foal crops or produced a few foals before they were permanently retired/pensioned. You cannot use the horse after it was pensioned.

7. You cannot have a horse foaled BEFORE a stallion's first known foal crop or AFTER his last one. You cannot have a horse foaled BEFORE a mare's first known real foal or AFTER her last known real foal.

8. If you are using live parents you cannot take it upon yourself to import or export them from their home countries. For example, you cannot "import" a real mare from England to the U.S. to breed if the mare never actually left England. You will need to find the appropriate sire to sire your foal in the same country where the dam is residing. There are some stallions that “shuttle” back and forth between different countries. If you choose to use one of these, then you need to make sure the stallion was in the same country as the dam you have chosen when you wish to have the foal bred.

9. The Jockey Club prohibits AI in the breeding of purebred Thoroughbreds so you must make sure that it is theoretically possible for the two horses to be in the same location to be bred (i.e. is it realistic for you to take X mare to Y stallion). Horses must be in the same country at the same time if they are being bred together.

10. Except in RARE cases, horses will not be racing and producing foals at the same time. A stallion might cover 1-2 mares late in his racing career as test breedings, and then still run a few races, but a mare is usually retired from racing before she is bred. You also need to take into account when a horse is retired and when it enters the breeding shed. For example, if a horse is retired in 2005 from racing, it will not be bred until the following year, 2006, and the first foal crop/first foal produced will not be until 2007.

11. The Jockey Club does not at this time recognize embryo transfer, nor will MTRA.

1. If you are requesting to use a real mare, you must send in the request to the Registrar, along with a complete list of the real mare’s real foals so that you can show that the year you are requesting is open. Note: It is YOUR responsibility to furnish the RMR/Registrar with the real mare’s foaling record via your own research. You can ask anyone who is a MTRA member to help you with research, but it isn’t the job of the Registrar to do it for you.

2. All open years (including foal died, aborted, or barren years) between a mare's first born foal and when she is officially pensioned (or when her last foal is born) may be used. Information on production records for real mares can be found in sales catalogs and on the Internet in advertising, etc. Please note that the Del Mar Pedigree Database http://www.pedigreequery.com/ is NOT a totally reliable source for researching produce records for mares. It often does not list all the foals that a mare produced. However, by cross-referencing it and the Breeder’s Cup Nomination Verification web page https://nominations.breederscup.com/bcFoalVerificationForm.cfm you can usually figure out when a mare has open years. Also, you can ask on the list and people can help you figure it out. To be absolutely certain of a mare’s produce record, you can buy a report from the Equineline Mare Produce Records http://www.equineline.com
   
   NOTE: If you are registering a horse that has been registered previously with the MRF, NAMTOBA, or the Express, and it turns out that there is duplication in using a real mare as a dam, the person who registered his or her horse first has the right to keep the real dam. The Registrar will work with the second person in an attempt to find another open year that will work, or another real mare that is a full or half sister to the original mare, or another mare of similar breeding. Hopefully we won’t run into this problem much.

1. You must be a current member of the MTRA in order to run MTRA sanctioned meets. Although not required, it is strongly advised that you be a member for at least one full year before deciding to open a MTRA track. However, if you have been a member of the Express, MRF, or NAMTOBA for more than one year, and/or have operated a track there, then you may open your own MTRA track at any time. If you have never operated a race track, please contact Daralyn Wallace at RaunFalcon@aol.com for help in setting it up.

2. A meet must be advertised on the MTRA email list (or published in the MTRA Newsletter) in order to be considered a sanctioned meet. Info listed must include meet date, steward's name and address, full meet card listing all races, any entry fees, and any rules specific to that track (stable limits, snail mail entry only, etc.) Races at unsanctioned meets will not be considered part of a horse's MTRA record. Before you publish your meet to the email list, please contact Daralyn Wallace (email address above) so that she can take a look at your planned meet to make sure it meets all requirements.

3. In the event that a steward must make a change, other than purse amount, in an already advertised race (different distance, changing a race for 3yos to 3/up, etc.), it is the responsibility of the steward to notify all affected entrants as soon as possible, whether by e-mail or snail mail in order to give them the option of scratching or moving their horse(s). The exception to this is jumble races. It is understood when entering a jumble race that while the steward will attempt to enter each horse at their "ideal" distance, it may not be possible due to the distribution of entries and a horse may have to run at a slightly shorter or longer distance. It is up to each trainer when they enter to list a range of acceptable distances for each horse and to list a horse's "ideal" distance and note if the horse is to be scratched or moved if there is no race at that distance.

4. All MTRA sanctioned race meets will be open to entries sent by both e-mail and postal mail. MTRA offers sanctioned races only for thoroughbreds. Horses may begin racing at age two (2).

5. Stewards may not enter horses they own or are currently leasing at their own track, nor may members of the steward's family enter horses at that steward's track. However, someone else that owns a horse a steward bred may enter any horses bred by the steward at the meet unless the steward specifically states he or she does not want any horses he or she bred to be entered in the meet he or she is holding.

6. You must operate your track in a realistic fashion. This means adhering to the established real life racing rules and customs in carding your races and the purses offered. Check the MTRA Racing Handbook for specific rules, but in general, races for juveniles (2 yr olds) should not be carded before March 1. There should be no juvenile Stakes races before April. The exceptions to this would be if you hold an ITR race for 2 yr olds that is run prior to these dates in real life. Purses offered at your track should be similar to real purses offered for the same breed/type of race. If you are offering an “ITR” race (one using the same name/race conditions as a real race, i.e. the MTRA version of the Kentucky Derby) then you should use the same purse and payouts used by the real race.

7. You must run the actual races in a realistic manner, via some method of handicapping. You may determine your own method, such as using dice, turning playing cards, use a commercial program, or obtain information on developing a method from other stewards. You may even copy a steward's method if you find it useful. However, you may not use the "drawn out of a hat" method. This is patently unrealistic, and totally unacceptable in realistic model horse racing. If your handicapping system assigns or deducts points for a horse’s post position then those post positions must be assigned randomly. Weights assigned and finishing times should be within realistic ranges. It is strongly suggested that you submit your system of running races to an already established MTRA steward for a final check before you run your first meet. The other steward will not dictate how you must run your races, but will serve as a proofreader for any potential problems and may offer suggestions to make running your races easier. You may also publish your system to the email list and request suggestions.

8. An ITR race is one that is named after a famous real stakes race. A steward may not hold any ITR races without first getting a "go-ahead" from the ITR coordinator. If you wish to hold ITR stakes races, contact the ITR/Steward Coordinator Daralyn Wallace at RaunFalcon@aol.com in order to set up your races. The ITR/Steward Coordinator will maintain a list of "major" or "more significant" North American stakes races. People interested in holding ITR races should contact her/him to volunteer (first come-first served for most races; only the biggest G1 races need to "move" each year). The ITR Coordinator will ask for volunteers for those biggest G1 races -- the Kentucky Derby, Preakness, Belmont, and the Breeders Cup series, and possibly others, such as the Fillies Triple Crown races. The Breeders Cup series can be either split between stewards with one steward taking all 2yo races, one taking all 3yo races, etc., or if one steward wishes to volunteer to hold all of them, that is also possible. Stewards can keep certain ITR races from year to year; they just have to contact the ITR/Steward Coordinator by a specified date and request to hold the race.

9. Any track not following rules 1 through 8 will be considered to be conducting Non-Organized Racing and may be barred from listing their meets with MTRA until the problem is corrected. Any races held at a track while it is barred will not be sanctioned, will not be considered part of a horse's MTRA record, and will not count toward any MTRA awards.

10. Because it is not a good idea to wait until the very last moment to run your races, all meets should be started as close to the advertised starting day of the meet as possible, except in cases of extreme hardship or if you, the steward, have been notified that entries are on the way. A steward is not obligated to wait for late entries. Hardship cases include, but are not limited to, illness, death in the family, work crises, or hospitalization. In such cases, if the delay is expected to last more than a few days, the steward must notify the E-MAIL GROUP immediately, so that all members will be aware of the delay. If stewards elect to wait for some late entries, or need to make an announcement that more entries are needed for particular races, then the steward should make an announcement to the email list and give a specific date/time for all late entries to arrive. NOTE: It is recommended that you set a specific date by which all entries should be received so that you can start logging in your entries and, hopefully, start your meet on time. Stewards will often post an entry deadline that is 24 hrs before the time they plan to start running the races.

11. All meets must be finished, and entries and results be published on the email list or mailed back to entrants no later than four (4) weeks after the last advertised day of the meet. If there has been a delay in the meet due to one of the reasons in #10 above, the steward must notify the Daralyn Wallace and the email list of the estimated completion date. Return of entries and results may consist of any or all of the following methods, depending on how entries were shipped to the meet: Postal mail, e-mail attachment, in the body of an e-mail, and/or posted to a website. If posted to a website, the entrants plus the MTRA mailing list (mtra@yahoogroups.com) must be notified when results are posted. If there is a delay in getting the results out, it is acceptable to put out partial results (list of placers in each race without comments or times) first with the full results to follow.

12. If a steward discovers he or she does not have sufficient time to run meets in a timely manner due to real life problems for an extended period, it is perfectly acceptable to have the track “go dark,” that is, to cancel any scheduled meets, until such time as the problems are resolved. This is preferable to struggling to run all scheduled meets and ending up with severely delayed meets and results. If a steward decides to do this, they must notify the ITR/Steward Coordinator so that an announcement can be made to all members regarding the cancelled meets.

13. If a steward exceeds the four-week time limit in rule #10 without sufficient cause, the steward may put on probation for a period of not less than six months from the date of the infraction. During the probationary period, the steward may not hold any race meets that include any stakes races. Upon successful completion of the probationary period, the steward is restored to full stewardship status. If a steward has previously been on probation, successfully completes such probationary period, and once again is late holding meets without cause, the steward will be barred from holding MTRA-sanctioned meets for a period of two years. Loss of stewardship status may also result if a probationary steward does not get the meet results and entries back out within four weeks after the meet. The steward's name shall be printed in the MTRA newsletter and on the email list as a notification to all members that said steward has been temporarily barred from holding or entering race meets and that, until further notice, future meets held by this steward shall not be eligible for MTRA year-end awards programs, etc.

14. Any meet in which results are not sent out within eight weeks of the FIRST scheduled day of the meet is officially canceled. If partial results have been released prior to the eight-week deadline for a portion of the meet, those results for the finished portion will stand as is. Only the remaining, unfinished, races will be cancelled. In addition, all future meets for the track in question are considered to be canceled, until such time as the steward contacts the Steward Coordinator with an explanation for the original delay and states that their schedule will once again allow them to hold meets in a timely fashion.

15. If there is a last minute steward change in an effort to get the meet out before the deadline, all affected owners must be given notice of the change and given the chance to scratch their horses as per track rule #3 above. A steward also has the option of voluntarily canceling a meet prior to the eight-week deadline if necessary.

16. A steward who is chronically late (but not to the cancellation point) with results and always has a good reason for the delays, but who does not take steps to get themselves back on track on their own, will be placed on probation following the third late meet of the year regardless of the reason for the delay. Real life happens, and everyone has delays at one time or another. These rules are in place to be used only in the event of extreme and chronic lateness.

17. MTRA will begin officially holding races as of August 1, 2005. However, no ITR stakes races will be carded before January 1, 2006, with the exception of the Breeder’s Cup Series. ITR stakes races are stakes races which are named after real stakes races. They will be the same length and conditions as the real race, and will have imaginary purses in the same amounts.

18. MTRA not be offering any International (outside the USA) racing until at least January 1, 2007. This will give members time to research racing in other countries and develop overseas stables, etc. International racing will most likely start on a limited basis with tracks with guest stewards. More information will be added on this as the group makes decisions regarding International racing.

19. The first Year End Awards will include races from January 1, 2006 through December 31, 2006, and the YEA year will run from January 1 through December 31 of each year. Categories will be announced at a later date, but will include awards for 2 yr olds, 3yr olds, and Aged, and for both males and females, and Horse of the Year. These will be patterned after the real ones. For the fall of 2005, each track may name its own champions but there will be no YEA awards because of the shortened year.

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