Section 7 TRIALS MEETINGS AND RACE MEETINGS
Rule 102A – General arrangements for Meetings
The Racecourse Executive shall be responsible for the general arrangements for a Trials Meeting and a Race Meeting. The Local Stewards shall be responsible for the conduct of Trials and Race Meetings and shall have full regard for the welfare of Greyhounds and its duties and responsibilities under the Animal Welfare Act 2006. A Trials […]
Rule 102B – Sales Trials
All persons or organisations who conduct Greyhound sales on premises licensed by the GBGB shall first be registered with the GBGB. The fees for registration shall be decided by the Greyhound Regulatory Board who shall have power to refuse the registration of any such person or organisation without assigning a reason. The right of appeal […]
Rule 103 – Required presence of Local Stewards and Officials
At least 3 Local Stewards shall be present from before the first Race, 2 of them from the start of Kennelling, until after the last Race of a Race Meeting. At least 2 Local Stewards shall be in the Stewards’ Box during a Race. At least 2 Local Stewards shall be present from the start […]
Rule 104 – Temporary appointments of Local Stewards and Licensed Officials
If there are less than the required number of Local Stewards present for a Race Meeting or Trials Meeting or if any other Licensed Official required by these Rules to be present is absent, the Local Stewards shall appoint suitably experienced persons to fill such vacancies and shall report the circumstances to the GBGB. No […]
Rule 105 – Local Stewards to control and supervise conduct
The Local Stewards shall control and supervise the conduct of all Licensed Officials, Trainers and Kennelhands, of all Owners and of all unlicensed persons, connected with the Greyhounds and/or the conduct of Trials and Races.
Rule 106 – GBGB, Stipendiary & Local Stewards – access
The GBGB Chief Executive Officer, members of the Greyhound Regulatory Board, the Director of Regulation, Members of the Disciplinary Committee, duly authorised representatives of any of them, GBGB Regulatory Veterinary Surgeons and GBGB Stipendiary Stewards shall have free access to all places used for the conduct of Trials and Races, to all Licensed Kennels and […]
Rule 107 – Variation of arrangements for Meetings
The Local Stewards shall have full power to make, and, if necessary, to vary, all such arrangements for the conduct of a Trials Meeting or a Race Meeting as they deem fit provided that such variation does not conflict with the requirements of the Rules. They shall, for example, have power to abandon the Meeting, […]
Rule 108 – Racecard
The Racecourse Executive shall publish an official Racecard for a Race Meeting and shall as a minimum publish thereon: i) The name of the Racecourse and the date of the Meeting. ii) That such Meeting is held under GBGB Rules of Racing. iii) The names of all Licensed Officials to act at that Meeting. iv) […]
Rule 109 – Racing Paddock and Kennels – definition
i) The Racing Paddock, containing the Racing Kennels, shall be a securely enclosed area at a GBGB Licensed Racecourse. It shall be adequately lit to allow safe examination and handling of a Greyhound. ii) Each racing kennel must; a) if installed after 6 April 2010, be at a minimum 136cm long, 87cm wide and 110cm […]
Rule 110A – Security of Racing Paddock
A Local Steward, Paddock Steward or Security Officer shall examine each individual Racing Kennel and materials* to be used therein for a Meeting, and all other parts of the Racing Paddock immediately before the Greyhounds enter for Kennelling and shall ascertain that all is secure and in satisfactory condition. *Bedding used in Racing Kennels shall […]
Rule 110B – Veterinary Treatment Room
i) The attending Veterinary Surgeon must have access to either a room or a mobile facility which; a) is clean and has walls and floors with an impervious and easily cleanable surface; b) is lockable; c) is well lit; d) has heating and ventilation; e) has hot and cold running water; f) has an examination […]
Rule 111 – Admission to Racing Paddock
i) Only the following persons shall be admitted to the Racing Paddock: a) Officials licensed in respect of the Racecourse. b) Holders of temporary appointments under Rule 104. c) Members of the Disciplinary Committee, the Chief Executive Officer of GBGB, the Director of Regulation, the Manager of Welfare, GBGB Sampling Stewards, GBGB Veterinary Executive, GBGB […]
Rule 112 – Kennelling time
Kennelling procedure under Rule 113 shall commence no earlier than 1 hour 45 minutes before the first Trial or Race of a Meeting, but each Greyhound shall be kennelled at least 45 minutes before its Trial or Race. The Racecourse must appoint times for kennelling to start and finish. There may be additional kennelling for […]
Rule 113 – Kennelling and weighing procedure
Kennelling procedure for a Trial or Race shall be as follows: i) Each Greyhound shall be weighed by a Licensed Official, to the nearest 100 grams. Either immediately prior to being weighed or immediately afterwards, it shall be identified and the greyhound scanned to ensure the presence of an identifiable microchip. The Licensed Official shall, […]
Rule 114 – Access to Racing Kennels
After a Greyhound has been kennelled no person shall have access to the Racing Kennel except with the authority of and under the surveillance of the Paddock Steward or Veterinary Surgeon, and in the presence of the Trainer or Kennelhand, except in an emergency.
Rule 115 – Paddock procedure before Trial/Race, Jacket/Muzzle inspection
i) A Greyhound shall be brought out of the Racing Kennel to take part in a Trial or Race by the Trainer or Kennelhand under the surveillance of the Paddock Steward and identified by a Local Official. ii) The Paddock Steward shall allocate the Racing Jackets in accordance with Rule 118. The Greyhound shall be […]
Rule 116 – Veterinary Surgeon’s further examination, and attendance
i) A register of attendance of Veterinary Surgeons shall be kept at the racecourse, recording; a) the date of the race, trial or sales trials; and b) the name, Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons membership number and signature of the attending Veterinary Surgeon. ii) The attending Veterinary Surgeon must attest in the register that, before […]
Rule 117 – Racing Paddock procedure after Trial or Race
Each Greyhound shall be taken back to the Racing Paddock after any Race or Trial and shall be locked back into their kennel and kept under the surveillance of a Paddock Steward or Veterinary Surgeon and not given access to any substance other than uncontaminated water until the authority of the Local Stewards has been […]
Rule 118 – Racing Jackets
Each Greyhound in a Trial or Race shall wear a Racing Jacket of a pattern approved by the GBGB and the Local Stewards, with the colour of each jacket and numeral to correspond with the Trap Number as follows: 1 Red jacket with white numeral 2 Blue jacket with white numeral 3 White jacket with […]
Rule 119 – Muzzles
Each Greyhound in a Trial or Race shall wear a safety muzzle preventing biting and complying with the specification published in the Appendix to these Rules. The Paddock Steward shall have available suitable muzzles of all sizes and shall provide one for any Greyhound on request.
Rule 120 – Starting Traps – use of, specification, spare, examination of
Greyhounds taking part in Handslipped Trials as defined in Rule 44 may at the discretion of the Racing Manager be handslipped and not released from a Starting Trap. Otherwise, every Greyhound in a Trial, Schooling Trial or Race shall start from a Starting Trap or compartment thereof, of a pattern approved by the GBGB, and […]
Rule 121 – Distance measurement
The distance(s) in use for any Trial or Race shall have been measured one metre from the inside rail and marked by a qualified surveyor, from the winning line, and certificates lodged with the GBGB accordingly.
Rule 122 – Starting Traps for Handicap to be checked
A Licensed Official other than the Starter shall check that the Starting Traps have been correctly set upon the course for a Handicap Trial or Race.
Rule 123 – Automatic/hand-start
A mechanism shall be fitted to the hare equipment so that the Starting Trap(s) in use for a Trial or Race is/are opened automatically to become fully open at the time the hare is approximately 11 metres ahead of the front of the Starting Trap(s) except that: in a Handicap Trial or Race, the Starting […]
Rule 124 – Starter
Greyhounds in a Trial or Race shall be started under the supervision of a licensed Starter who shall give all necessary orders and signals for securing a fair start, and shall also be responsible for any hand-starting under Rule 123 and for arranging any necessary removal of the Starting Trap(s) and ancillary equipment from the […]
Rule 125 – Parade for Race
Unless otherwise directed by the Local Stewards, because of adverse weather or exceptional circumstances, every Greyhound to take part in a Race shall be paraded in public before going to the Starting Trap(s).
Rule 126 – Exhibition of Trap Numbers
The Trap Numbers of Greyhounds to take part in a Race shall be exhibited in view of all public enclosures at least 10 minutes before the Race is run.
Rule 127 – Late Withdrawal
Once the Parade has commenced, no alteration to the runners for a Race shall be permitted except that, until the hare signal is given for the start of the Race, a Greyhound may be withdrawn if it appears to be, and is confirmed by the Veterinary Surgeon to be, unfit to run. A Greyhound so […]
Rule 128 – Starting time
The Racing Manager or their Deputy must check that their timepiece, used for determining the Off-Time, is accurate before racing begins. A public announcement or signal shall be made at least two minutes before the Greyhounds enter the Starting Trap(s) for a Race. The Greyhounds shall not be held stationary for more than one minute […]
Rule 129 – Greyhounds in Starting Traps
A Greyhound shall be placed in the appropriate Starting Trap or compartment thereof by the Trainer or Kennelhand or Parader or Local Official, under the orders and surveillance of the Starter; or by him/her. When all the Greyhounds are in the Starting Trap(s), all persons other than the Starter and his/her assistants shall retire from […]
Rule 130 – Start signal
When the Starter is satisfied that all is in order under Rule 129 and all Greyhounds are facing forward, he/she shall give a public signal for the hare to be started. After that time, the Greyhounds shall receive no further attention and the start shall not be deliberately prevented or postponed except when permitting the […]
Rule 131 – Failure to start or complete course
Once the Starting Trap(s) open(s), any failure of a Greyhound to start shall not in itself be reason for declaration of ‘No Trial’ or ‘No Race’. Every effort shall be made to detain or remove a Greyhound that fails to start or stops or turns back during a Trial or Race.
Rule 132 – Starting Trap or hare failure
If a Starting Trap fails to open, the hare shall be stopped as quickly and as safely as practicable and, if possible, out of sight of the Greyhounds. After any hare or Starting Trap failure, if the hare is to be moved, the Greyhounds shall be taken back to the Racing Paddock or other approved […]
Rule 133 – Hare not to pass twice
Under no circumstances shall the hare be allowed to pass the Starting Trap(s) twice before the Greyhounds therein are released or removed, whatever the cause of the Starting Trap(s) failing to open the first time it passes.
Rule 134 – Hare Controller
The hare shall be controlled for a Trial or Race by a licensed Hare Controller. The Hare Controller shall be responsible for starting the hare from a position out of direct vision of Greyhounds in the Starting Trap(s), for maintaining a constant speed of the hare as it passes the starting point in each Trial […]
Rule 135 – Hurdles specification
Hurdles shall be of a type and size approved by the GBGB.
Rule 136 – Hurdle damaged or knocked down
If a Hurdle is damaged or knocked down during a Trial or Race it shall be replaced if time permits without distraction of the Greyhounds, but a Greyhound shall be entitled to take advantage of any gap so caused.
Rule 137 – Running Out
If a Greyhound runs out of the defined course, whether it returns and crosses the winning line or not, it shall be regarded as not completing the course. It shall be disqualified for, and the Owner shall forfeit all rights in, the Trial or Race concerned.
Rule 138 – Timing, Timekeeper
Timing for all Trials and Races shall be by photo- or ray-timing apparatus. A licensed Timekeeper shall record by hand held stopwatch a time for the apparent first Greyhound in the Order Of Finish and shall draw the attention of the Local Stewards to any unusual discrepancy between this and any time recorded as above; […]
Rule 139 – Beaten distance, Calculated Time
All details recorded by photo-finish apparatus shall be ascertained therefrom by a Local Steward. Where photo-timing apparatus is used, the distances between Greyhounds shall be calculated from the times thus recorded at the rate of 1 length per 0.08 of a second, except that very small distances may be determined from the image of the […]
Rule 140 – Order of Finish, Result, definitions
The Order of Finish shall mean the order in which the noses of the Greyhounds which have completed the course in a Trial or Race reach the winning line. The Result of a Race shall mean the Order of Finish subject to amendment, by any disqualification. For the purposes of competition points and prizes, a […]
Rule 141 – Officials and Stewards to watch Races and Trials
The Racing Manager, Assistant Racing Manager and Local Stewards shall watch every Trial or Race at a Meeting at which they are acting under Rule 103 and as far as possible shall watch every Greyhound therein.
Rule 142 – Judge, post-Race procedure, No Race declaration
The Judge shall occupy a suitable position in the Local Stewards’ Box or Judge’s Box throughout the Race. Unless the Local Stewards decide otherwise, the Judge shall indicate to them the Order of Finish and when this has been approved by them the Trap Numbers of the Greyhounds occupying the first three places shall be […]
Rule 143 – Judge for Trials
The Racing Manager, Assistant Racing Manager or a Local Steward may act in place of the Judge for Trials Meetings, and in this case shall be responsible for deciding the Order of Finish subject to the approval of the other Local Steward(s).
Rule 144 – Photo-finish, Judge’s decision final
Where photo-finish apparatus is used by the Judge or person deciding the Order of Finish under Rule 142 or Rule 143 to assist him/her, it shall in no way alter his/her responsibilities and his/her decision shall be final in this respect.
Rule 145 – No Trial, No Race – declaration of – permitted circumstances
The Local Stewards may declare ‘No Trial’ or ‘No Race’ in the following circumstances only: i) A mechanical or other defect of the hare equipment or Starting Trap(s). ii) Any outside interference with the Trial or Race, with the proviso that the Local Stewards can within their discretion declare a Result or Part Result of […]
Rule 146 – Re-run
A ‘No Race’ may be re-run at a separate Meeting subject to Rule 147, Rule 148 and Rule 149 A ‘No Trial’ may be re-run at the same Meeting subject to Rule 147, Rule 148 and Rule 149 The word ‘re-run’ shall be included in Form Lines on subsequent Racecards, and on published records in […]
Rule 147 – Greyhound not to run more than once in a four day period
A Greyhound shall not run more than once in any four-day period and shall only run a maximum of six times in any 28-day period. A run is a trial or a race, for this Rule, no-races and no-trials do not count as runs. As an example, a Greyhound that runs on Monday is next […]
Rule 148 – Re-run, Owner’s option
It shall be optional on the part of Owners whether their Greyhounds take part in a re-run Trial or Race if they are present at the Meeting, and an Owner or Authorised Agent or the Trainer in the former’s absence may withdraw a Greyhound from such re-run provided that, in the case of a Race, […]
Rule 149 – Qualifiers from ‘No Race’
In the event of a ‘No Race’ being declared in an eliminating round of a Race the following procedures apply in order of priority: i) Subject to Rule 147, including the dispensation from GBGB if required, the Greyhounds shall re-run over the same course and distance from the same starting positions at the next available […]
Rule 150 – Walk Over
If a Greyhound is the only one not withdrawn from a Race and subject to other Rules is therefore eligible to ‘walk over’ to be deemed the first in the Result for the purpose of qualification and/or prizes, it shall be inspected by the Veterinary Surgeon prior to leaving the Racing Paddock and if pronounced […]
Rule 151 – Records of Trials and Races, Going Allowances
The Racing Manager shall be responsible for arranging the making of and collation of records of Trials and Races necessary for the completion of Racecards, payment of prizes and reports to the GBGB. The Racing Manager shall provide that time allowances made for the ‘going’ conditions of Greyhound running surfaces of the Racecourse for either […]
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