THE MAURITIUS TURF CLUB
RULES OF RACING
TITLE
1. These rules may be cited as The Mauritius Turf Club – Rules of Racing.
INTERPRETATION
2. In these Rules, unless the context otherwise requires –
“Administrator” means an Administrator of the Club.
“Amateur rider” means a person who holds a licence from the Administrators to ride in races reserved to amateur riders or from a foreign recognised horseracing authority or Federation;
“Apprentice” means a person who holds an apprentice jockey’s licence granted by the Administrators and, subject to Rules 57 to 60, any reference, in these Rules, to a “jockey” or “rider”, shall be deemed to include a reference
to an “apprentice”;
“Appeal Board” means the Board of Appeal constituted by virtue of the “Statuts” or Rules of Association of The Mauritius Turf Club;
“Assistant Trainer” means a person licensed by the Administrators to assist the Trainer and who replaces the latter in his absence or during his incapacity to act;
“Club” means The Mauritius Turf Club;
“Company” means a company incorporated under the Companies Act 2001;
“Disqualified“, when referring to a horse, means “placed last”;
“Disqualified Person” means a person who is warned off or disqualified by the Club or a Horse Racing Authority;
“Excluded“, when referring to a horse, means any horse which, for any reason, is not allowed to run;
“Government” means the Government of the Republic of Mauritius and includes any of its ministries
“Handicap race” means a race in which the weight to be carried by the horses entered therein are adjusted by the Handicapper for the purpose of equalizing their chances of winning;
“Handicapper” means the person or persons appointed by the Administrators to perform the duties of the handicapper;
“Honorary Owner” means any person under whose name a horse may be entered in a race in accordance with Rule 34;
“Horse” includes stallion, rig, mare, gelding, colt and filly;
“Horse Racing Authority” means an affiliated member of the International Federation of Racing Authorities;
“Jockey” means a person who holds from any Horse Racing Authority a valid jockey’s licence to ride for hire;
“Officials” means person or persons appointed and/or licensed by the Administrators to act at racemeetings.
“Official Placing” means a placing by which a horse is entitled to stake money.
“Owner” means a person registered as such and under whose name a horse may be entered in a race and shall include a partnership or a duly registered Syndicate;
“Partnership” in relation to ownership of horses, means an association of co-owners up to a maximum of five natural persons and registered as such with the Secretary;
“Photograph“means the photograph taken when the horses pass the winning post by the camera installed under the authority of the Administrators;
“Programme Officiel” means the official race card published by the Club immediately prior to a race meeting to which that race card relates.
“Race” means any competitive horse race organised by or under the aegis of the Club or any Horse Racing Authority whether or not such raceis referred to as a Plate, Cup or “Prix”, Stakes or Trophy;
“Race Course” means all the premises and the area around them directly or indirectly used in connection with the organisation of horse racing by the Club and includes any stabling area under strict surveillance;
“Racing Stewards” means those persons appointed by the Administrators to act as Racing Stewards and includes the Stipendiary Steward/s if any;
“Racing Calendar” means the annual publication of the Club known as “La Chronique du Turf”;
“Recognised meeting” means a race meeting held under the control or aegis of a Horse Racing Authority;
“Registered” means registered with the Club;
“Rider” means a person who by virtue of the Rules of Racing of the Club is authorised to ride at trackwork or in races;
“Rules”means the Rules of Racing of the Club and such regulations and/or by-laws made by the Administrators of the Club, pursuant to the provisions of the Rules;
“Secretary” means the Secretary of the Club who shall also be the Secretary of the Administrators and of the Racing Stewards;
“Start” has the meaning assigned to it by Rule 144;
“Stable” means the racing organisation under the control of a Trainer and includes the horses under his control as well as the buildings and premises where they are stabled;
“Stable Employee” means a groom, licensed as such by the Administrators, whether employed or not by the Club or a Trainer to attend to horses;
“Stable Supervisor” means a person licensed by the Administrators to ensure that the orders of the Trainer and/or the Assistant Trainer are carried out in the stable yard and on the training tracks;
“Statuts” means the Rules of Association of the Club;
“Stipendiary Stewards” means the Stewards employed and appointed by the Administrators of The Mauritius Turf Club with powers and jurisdiction to effect and enforce the Rules on behalf of the Administrators of The Mauritius Turf Club.
“Strict Surveillance” means the placing prior to a race meeting of all the horses entered or nominated to run for such a meeting under strict supervision and watching upon by the Club’s security while the horses are in the custody of their respective trainers and/or of their respective grooms;
“Syndicate” , means
(a) a group of not less than six and not more than twenty natural persons and registered in accordance with Rule 36 of the Rules; and
(b) a Company
“Trackwork Rider” may be any Jockey or Apprentice licensed to ride while he is riding exercise and may also include any rider licensed or approved to ride exercise only;
“Trainer” means a person appointed and licensed by the Administrators and who is responsible and accountable to them for the training, management administration, supervision, security and control of the horses under his care; includes an Assistant Trainer.
“Veterinary Surgeon” means a registered veterinary surgeon who is duly licensed by the Administrators of the Mauritius Turf Club to render veterinary services at any time in accordance with the Rules of Racing of the Mauritius Turf Club;
“Weight for age race” means a race in which the weight to be carried by any horse is determined according to its age as provided in Rules 89 to 91.
3. Nothing in these Rules shall prevent a person from being at the same time an Owner and/or Trainer.
PRELIMINARY
4. These Rules shall apply to:
(i) all race meetings and races organised by and/or held under the aegis or authority of The Mauritius Turf Club, the internationally recognized Horse Racing Authority in Mauritius;
(ii) all persons, including but not limited to those persons gaining or being granted access to any premises under the control of the Club, who take part in or are involved with or are in any direct or indirect way concerned with any matter coming within the purview or ambit of the provisions of these Rules as more fully provided for in these Rules.
5. Any person, including but not limited to a person
gaining or being granted access to any premises under the control of the Club, who takes part in or is involved with or is in any direct or indirect way concerned with any matter coming within the purview or ambit of the provisions of these Rules, thereby agrees to be bound by them.
6. The Horse Racing Authorities which have agreed either totally or partly on theInternational Agreement on Breeding and Racing” of October 1986 as subsequently amended are listed in the Schedule to the Rules.
7. (1)By virtue of the powers vested in them by the ‘Statuts’, the Administrators may enter into further reciprocal agreements with any recognized Horse Racing Authority.
(2) Subject to the Rules, the “International Agreement on Breeding and Racing” shall apply to all meetings and races.
(3) If there is any conflict between the Rules and the “International Agreement on Breeding and Racing”, the Rules shall prevail.
(4) Without prejudice to the Rules, every Jockey, Trainer and Groom shall comply with such regulations, directives, orders and decisions as may be made from time to time by the Racing Stewards. However, if there is a conflict between these Rules and the said regulations, orders and/or decisions the provisions of the Rules shall prevail.
ADMINISTRATORS OF THE MAURITIUS TURF CLUB: POWERS AND DUTIES
8. The Administrators shall be those persons holding office of Administrators by virtue of the ‘Statuts’, three of them constituting a quorum(Articles 17 to 19 of the ‘Statuts’ refer).
9. The Administrators may refuse access to, exclude or expel from any place controlled by the Club any
person:
(a) against whom the Club has any claim which has
remained unsettled;