OKLAHOMA HORSE RACING COMMISSION RAN LEONARD, CHAIR KEITH SANDERS, VICE-CHAIR BECKY GOUMAZ, MEMBER PHILLIP KIRK, MEMBER MONTY MARCUM, MEMBER MEL BOLLENBACH, SECRETARY STANTON HARRELL, ESQ., MEMBER JOE LUCAS, MEMBER KINSEY MONEY, ESQ., MEMBER Thursday,, 9:30 a.m. Meeting Location: Track North at Remington Park Racetrack and Casino [PLEASE ENTER AT GAMING ENTRANCE] One Remington Place Oklahoma City, OK 73111 Address of the: OKLAHOMA HORSE RACING COMMISSION 2401 NW 23 rd Street, SUITE 78 OKLAHOMA CITY, OKLAHOMA 73107 (Located In SHEPHERD MALL, N.W. 23 rd Street & Villa Avenue) TELEPHONE: (405) 943-6472; FAX: (405) 943-6474 E-MAIL: OHRC@SOCKET.NET; WEBSITE: WWW.OHRC.ORG POSTED IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE OKLAHOMA OPEN MEETING ACT All customers who attend public meetings of the Commission who need special accommodations, i.e., Sign Language Interpreter, amplification device, large print materials, Braille materials, audio cassette materials, readers or other special accommodations must notify the Commission by the deadline date and time for acceptance of agenda requests.
CALL TO ORDER...Mr. Leonard, Chair ROLL CALL.. Mr. Leonard, Chair WELCOME... Mr. Leonard, Chair Ms. Sandra [Sandy] Balzer, Assistant Attorney General, has begun providing legal services as the Commission Counsel following the retirement of Mr. Neal Leader. BUSINESS.......Mr. Leonard, Chair A. MINUTES The drafted Minutes of the February 18, 2016 Regularly Scheduled Commission Meeting [Item A.1] will be considered for approval. THE FOLLOWING MATTERS ARE PRESENTED FOR CONSIDERATION AND ACTION, IF ANY, DEEMED APPROPRIATE BY THE COMMISSION. B. Possible Final Action on Proposed Rule Amendments to a Racing Rule Background At the January 14, 2016 Commission meeting, the Ad Hoc Committee on Rules recommended amendments to OAC 325:25-1-10, Horses Ineligible to Start in a Race, to address the ineligibility of a horse to start in a race if the Owner or Trainer is suspended or ineligible for a license or ineligible to participate under the rules of any Turf Governing Authority or Stud Book Registry. At that meeting, the Commission approved opening the permanent rulemaking process to consider the proposed amendments [Item B.1]. The Notice of Rulemaking Intent was published in the February 16, 2016 issue of The 2
Oklahoma Register. The Public Hearing is scheduled to be held March 21, 2016. No written comments were received. The Commission also approved the amendments through the emergency rulemaking process in order to have a faster effective date. Governor Fallin approved the amendments with a February 15, 2016 effective date. The emergency approval will stay in place until September 14, 2017. If the Legislature adopts the same amendments under the permanent rulemaking process, the effective date would be sometime in 2016, superseding the September 14, 2017 date. Current Consideration The next step in the rulemaking process is the Commission s consideration of adopting the proposed rule amendments to the racing rule under the permanent rulemaking process. Possible Action: Possible action may include, but is not limited to: taking no action; adopting the proposed amendments, in whole or in part; deciding not to adopt the proposed amendments; adopting a modified version of the proposed rule amendments; or continuing the discussion. C. Commission s Authorization of Chair s Appointment of Members to Reorganized Ad Hoc Committees The Commission will consider authorizing the Chair to appoint members to reorganized Ad Hoc Committees. Possible Action: Possible action may include, but is not limited to: authorizing the Chair to appoint reorganized Ad Hoc Committees, not authorizing the Chair to appoint reorganized Ad Hoc Committees, or deferring action on the subject. 3
D. Appointment of Reorganized Ad Hoc Committees If the Commission authorizes the Chair s action under Agenda Topic C, then the Chair will proceed to name the members to the reorganized Ad Hoc Committees. Item D.1 is the Chairman s proposed reorganization of the Ad Hoc Committees. E. Request for Oklahoma-Bred Funding by the Thoroughbred Racing Association of Oklahoma and Will Rogers Downs The Thoroughbred Racing Association of Oklahoma [TRAO] and Will Rogers Downs [WRD] submitted a March 17, 2016 letter [Item E.1], requesting Commission approval for funding from the Oklahoma Breeding Development Fund Special Account for two new stakes races to be held at WRD during the CY 2016 Thoroughbred race meeting. The proposed payout percentage would be 60/20/11/6/3. The requested Oklahoma-Bred funding breakdown follows: Purse Broodmare Stallion Supplements Awards Awards Total Three-Year-Old Colt and Gelding Stakes Race $ 5,000 $3,400 $1,600 $10,000 Three-Year-Old Filly Stakes Race $ 5,000 $3,400 $1,600 $10,000 Total $10,000 $6,800 $3,200 $20,000 Possible Action: Possible action may include, but is not limited to: taking no action; approving, in whole or in part, the recommendation; amending the funding amount; denying the funding request; or continuing the matter. 4
F. Consideration of Hair Testing for Clenbuterol at the American Quarter Horse Association s [AQHA] 2016 Bank of America Racing Challenge Regional Qualifying Races to be Held in Oklahoma Background The AQHA plans to include hair testing for Clenbuterol as a condition of its 2016 Bank of America Challenge regional qualifying races to be held in Oklahoma. Item F.1 contains the AQHA Challenge Regional Race Nomination Form. The hair testing process will not include split sample testing, chain of custody safeguards, or due process protections. Further, the Commission has not had the opportunity to review the scientific research regarding hair testing. Possible Action: Possible action may include, but is not limited to: taking no action; continuing the matter; or deciding that the results of the hair test will have no effect on the eligibility of horses to enter the Oklahoma races or the ability of Owners and Trainers to win purse money in the Oklahoma races. G. REPORTS 1. Chairman Leonard, Commissioner Lucas and Mr. Cathey, Commission Executive Director, attended the RCI [Racing Commissioners International] Annual Conference, March 22-25, 2016. They will provide a report of issues discussed. 2. Commissioner Lucas will report on legislative bills being tracked. 5
3. Commissioner Sanders will report on activities of the Ad Hoc Committee on Budget and Finance. H. Any Matter Not Known About or Which Could Not Have Been Reasonably Foreseen Prior to Posting the Agenda I. ANNOUNCEMENTS 1. Live racing has returned to two of the Commission-licensed racetracks: Remington Park s Quarter Horse, Paint and Appaloosa race meeting began on Friday, March 11, 2016. Will Rogers Downs s Thoroughbred race meeting began on Monday, March 14, 2016. 2. The Thoroughbred Racing Association of Oklahoma will hold its annual awards program on Friday, May 20, 2016 at the Hard Rock Hotel and Casino, 777 W. Cherokee Street, Catoosa, OK. Cocktail hour is scheduled for 6:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. with dinner, auction and awards presentation to follow. The Commission will present CY 2015 Oklahoma- Bred Year-End Champion Awards for Thoroughbreds. The RSVP deadline is Monday, May 2, 2016. 6
3. The CY 2017 racetrack racing and gaming license applications will be distributed on Friday, April 15, 2016, for completion by June 1, 2016. 4. The Association of Racing Commissioners International [RCI] is hosting a series of Town Hall Meetings and focus groups around the country. The meetings are being held to explore possible solutions to problems facing the industry and its participants that impact the integrity of the sport. Owners, breeders, horsemen, vets, track officials, regulators and fans are all welcome to provide input. You are invited to participate in the Town Hall Meeting scheduled for Tuesday, April 19, 2016, starting at 10:30 a.m., at Remington Park in Track North. There is no cost to attend. Please pre-register at: https://racingintegrity.wufoo.com/forms/arci-town-hall-meeting-419-remington-park/ ADJOURNMENT Mr. Leonard, Chair PLEASE SEE CALENDAR ON NEXT PAGE 7
APRIL-JUNE, 2016 CALENDAR NO REGULAR COMMISSION MEETING SCHEDULED IN APRIL 4/15/16 Distribution of CY 2017 racetrack racing and gaming renewal license applications to racetracks 4/19/16 Oklahoma Town Meeting, Remington Park in Track North, 10:30 a.m. 5/4/16 Oklahoma-Bred Advisory Council Meeting, 1:00 p.m., Commission s Shepherd Mall office, 2401 NW 23, Suite 78, Oklahoma City, OK 73107 5/5/16 Deadline for requesting agenda topics for the May 19, 2016 Commission meeting 5/19/16 Commission s Regularly Scheduled Meeting, starting at 9:30 a.m., at Remington Park in Track North, One Remington Place, Oklahoma City, OK 73111 5/20/16 Thoroughbred Racing Association of Oklahoma s annual awards program, Hard Rock Hotel and Casino, 777 W. Cherokee Street, Catoosa, OK 74015; cocktails scheduled for 6:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. with dinner, auction and awards presentations to follow 5/21/16 Will Rogers Downs s Thoroughbred race meeting is scheduled to end 5/30/16 HOLIDAY [Memorial Day] 6/1/16 Deadline for submitting CY 2017 racetrack racing and gaming renewal license applications 6/2/16 Deadline for requesting agenda topics for the June 16, 2016 Commission meeting 6/4/16 Remington Park s Quarter Horse, Paint and Appaloosa race meeting is scheduled to end 6/9/16 Fair Meadows at Tulsa s Mixed Breed race meeting is scheduled to begin 6/16/16 Commission s Regularly Scheduled Meeting, starting at 9:30 a.m., at Remington Park in Track North, One Remington Place, Oklahoma City, OK 73111 8