Rules and Regulations for 2008
(1) The following rules shall have the following meaning:
Age - the age of a horse shall be reckoned from the first day of January of the year of the foaling.
Broodmare - a filly or mare being used for breeding purposes.
Colt or Horse - a male horse
Dash - a race decided in a single event of one mile
Department - Department of Agricultural Resources
Eligible - horse meeting U.S.T.A. and program requirements
Entry - declaring eligible’s to race
Filly or Mare - female horse
Foal - offspring, colt/gelding or filly
Full Season - breeding season
Gait - trot or pace
Gelding - castrated male horse
Get - offspring of sire
Mares Bred List - names of mares bred to registered stallions
Nominating Fee - registration fee.
Produce - offspring of the mare
Qualifying Time - ability of horse to race within a predetermined time standard using declared gait.
S.O.M. Inc. - Standardbred Owners of Massachusetts Inc.
Stallion - male horse
Starting Fee - entry fee to race
Sustaining Fee - fee to maintain qualifications to race
Tattoo - identifying number issued by U.S.T.A. to registered horse
U.S.T.A. -
Yearling - 1-year-old equine
(2) Massachusetts Standardbred Sire Stakes for foals to race as two and three year olds. S.O.M. Inc. shall on or before January 1, of each year, establish the amount of fees to register eligible in this program. The eligibility dates for colts/geldings and fillies shall conform to the U.S.T.A. rule and regulations.
(3) Stakes races shall be for foals of mares bred to a stallion that is registered with S.O.M. Inc. and the Department, and stood in
a. Beginning with the 2002-breeding season the resident mare legislation (Chapter 139 of the Acts of 2001) will be in effect.
b. This legislation is due to expire December 31, 2008.
(4) Nominating, Continuation, and sustaining payments shall be made to S.O.M. Inc., PO Box #1682, Plainville, MA 02762. Starting fees shall be collected at the pari-mutual track, and shall be distributed according to the applicable and pertinent rules and regulations of the U.S.T.A.
(5) Each race shall consist of one dash for a distance of one mile. Purse money shall be distributed in the following manor.
a. Money Division: 5 or more starters: 50, 25, 12, 8, 5%
4 starters: 50, 25, 15, and 10%
3 starters: 50, 30, and 20%
2 starters: 65, 35%
1 starter: 65%
In the event that any unforeseen condition shall make it unsuitable to race the stakes, S.O.M. Inc. reserves the right to divide the purse money equally among entrants which have paid their starting fees and have declared to race.
(6) Entry requirements shall be in accordance with the U.S.T.A. rule and regulations.
(7) All gaits must be specified on the April 15th payment. Transfer of gait may be made at time of declaration, but past payments remain in respected funds.
(8) A stallion shall be registered by January 1 of each year preceding the stallion’s standing in service on designated farm. Stallions shall be registered with the Department and S.O.M. inc. and shall stand for the full breeding season on the designated farm.
(9) Prior to October 1 of each year, each breeder standing a standardbred stallion in the commonwealth at either private or public service shall file with the Department a list of all standardbred mares bred to such stallion in that year and a verified statement representing that the stallion stood the entire breeding season in the commonwealth.
a. Also Eligible: Beginning with the 2002 breeding season all mares bred out of state and residing
(10) Yearling Eligibility: Each yearling must be sired by a registered and eligible stallion that is registered, with S.O.M. INC., and the Department. The owner of the dam need not be a resident of
a. Beginning in 2004 yearling eligibility shall be limited to those of racing ages 2 and 3, and shall have met the following requirements.
i. The qualifying standardbred horses shall have been sired by a Massachusetts registered stallion on file with the Department of Agricultural Resources; provided, however, that the stallion stood the entire breeding season of February 1, to July 15, inclusive, in the commonwealth in the year any such eligible foal was conceived; or
ii. The foal of a standardbred mare that drops the foal in the commonwealth and is bred back to a Massachusetts registered stallion; or the foal of a standardbred mare that resides in the commonwealth from December 1 of the year prior to foaling and continues such residence until foaling and foals in the commonwealth. The current resident mare legislation is due to expire December 31, 2008.
iii. In either case of sub (1) or (2), each standardbred foal dropped in the commonwealth shall be registered with the United States Trotting Association, S.O.M. Inc. and the Department of Agricultural Resources.
(11) Two and Three Year Old Eligibility: All two and three year olds must make the following payments in order to race as two and three year olds.
2-Year Olds
February 15th (Continuation)……………$100.00
April 15th (Sustaining-Specify Gait)…….$200.00
3-Year Olds
February 15th (Continuation)……………$150.00
April 15th(Sustaining-Specified Gait)…...$300.00
The February 15th payment of the two year old year must be made in order to eligible as a three year old.
(12) The breeding season for stallions standing for stud service shall be from the first day of February to the fifteenth day of July in each year. Registered stallions shall not be removed from the designated farm during the breeding season except in case of emergency. There is a ten percent (10%) Stallion Award paid to the stallion owners of stallions standing in
(13) All horses must start in at least one preliminary event to be eligible to the final event.
(14) (a) The eight highest points earners will be eligible to the finals. In case of ties, horses will be drawn by lot.
(b) The next highest point earners will be eligible if any higher earners fail to declare.
(c) Points will be as follows:
First 50
Second 25
Third 12
Fourth 8
Fifth 5
All starters will receive one point.
(15) (a) All horses must be qualified and meet Massachusetts Sire Stakes standards to be eligible to any preliminary or final events.
(b) They also must have a satisfactory charted line within thirty days from race date to race date.
(c) Qualifying Standards:
¾ and Mile Tracks
Pacers Trotters
2 Year Olds…………2:11 2 Year Olds………2:13
3 Year Olds…………2:09 3 Year Olds……...2:11
5/8 and ½ Mile Tracks
Pacers Trotters
2 Year Olds…………2:13 2 Year Olds………2:15
3 Year Olds…………2:11 3 Year Olds………2:13
(16) A declaration fee of two percent of the net purse is due and payable no later than one hour before post time once a horse is declared to start. Failure to do so will result in an automatic scratch. All fees will be added to the nominated event.
(17) Any division with ten (10) or more entries will be split, thus eliminating any trailers.
(18) Should any Division, Leg or Final not fill, those monies dedicated to that sex, gait and age will be reapportioned to all other stake divisions within the same age group.