STALLION REGISTRATION
Stallion Eligibility
To be eligible for registration as an ONTARIO SIRE, a stallion must be:
a) Wholly owned by an ONTARIO RESIDENT, and standing his entire NORTHERN HEMISPHERE STUD SEASON in the Province of Ontario;
OR
b) Leased to an ONTARIO RESIDENT for a term of at least one year, and standing his entire NORTHERN HEMISPHERE STUD SEASON in the Province of Ontario during the term of that lease, with a copy of the written lease agreement on file with Standardbred Canada.
Verification of ownership (or leasing) of the stallion will be confirmed by Standardbred Canada records. Where registration documentation verifying the ownership of a stallion is in the process of being transferred, and Standardbred Canada is otherwise unable to verify the ownership of a stallion, other proof of ownership satisfactory to the Standardbred Improvement Program must be submitted with the application for registration.
To be eligible for registration as an ONTARIO SIRE, Standardbred stallions must be registered with Standardbred Canada and/or the United States Trotting Association (USTA) and must be DNA-tested in accordance with prevailing Standardbred Canada regulations, as amended from time to time. Any stallion registered with the USTA that does not meet the registry requirements set out by Standardbred Canada shall not be eligible to be registered as an ONTARIO SIRE.
Owners, Lessees, and Authorized Agents of Owners or Lessees signing an application for registration of a stallion, must hold a current, valid Alcohol and Gaming Commission of Ontario (AGCO) license. An Authorized Agent may register a stallion on behalf of the Owner or Lessee, IF:
- The Owner or Lessee holds a valid, current AGCO license, AND
- The Authorized Agent holds a valid current AGCO license, AND
- The appropriate Authorized Agent documents are recorded on file with Standardbred Canada.
Owners, Lessees, Authorized Agents, who violate the stallion registration conditions or the intent of the stallion registration conditions, will be subject to sanctioning by Ontario Racing. Ontario Racing, at its absolute discretion, may waive the breach of any stallion condition, which it does not consider prejudicial to the best interest of the Standardbred Improvement Program.
Deadline for Stallion Registration
The deadline for applying to register a stallion without a penalty is January 15th of the breeding year. Applications to register a stallion received by the Program after January 15th of the breeding year will be subject to payment of a Late Registration Fee (see below). A stallion is ineligible for registration as a 2025 ONTARIO SIRE if it breeds or has bred any mares during the 2025 calendar year prior to the approval of the application.
Fees for Stallion Registration
The applicable fees for registration of a stallion as an ONTARIO SIRE are:
- $200 for a New Registration (if not registered as an ONTARIO SIRE in the previous year), OR
- $100 for a Renewal Registration (for stallions registered as an ONTARIO SIRE in the previous year) …
PLUS - A levy equal to 50% of the advertised service fee for the current year OR $500, whichever is greater. If the service fee for the current year is listed as “Private”, the levy payable will be equal to 50% of the highest amount that would be charged for a service fee for the current year OR $500, whichever is greater.
Late Registration: To register a stallion after January 15th, the required Registration fee is $500 (for either “New” or “Renewal” registrations), PLUS the levy amount as outlined above.
How to Register a Stallion
Registration of a Stallion as an ONTARIO SIRE for the current breeding season requires completion of the Standardbred Stallion Registration Form. Completed forms, with payment of all required fees, must be submitted by the required deadline to:
Ontario Racing
Standardbred Improvement Program
PO Box 160
Campbellville, ON L0P 1B0
Any applications received by mail that have no postmark or have an unreadable postmark on the envelope, will only be accepted up to January 15, 2025. After that date the Late Registration fee of $500 will apply. To avoid being penalized for the failure of Canada Post to properly postmark the envelope carrying the application, it is strongly recommended that these materials be sent by registered mail.
Failure to submit the appropriate registration fee and levy along with the application will result in the foals born to that stallion in 2026 being ineligible to race in Ontario Sired races. A list of registered ONTARIO SIRES will be published as soon as possible after January 15, 2025. It may not be possible to include all stallions registered pursuant to the late registration provisions on the published list.
PROGRAM DEFINITIONS
ONTARIO SIRE means a stallion registered with the Program, owned or leased by an ONTARIO RESIDENT, standing in the Province of Ontario for the entire NORTHERN HEMISPHERE STUD SEASON of the year of record.
To be eligible to be registered in the Program, a stallion must be:
a) Wholly owned by an ONTARIO RESIDENT, and standing his entire NORTHERN HEMISPHERE STUD SEASON in the Province of Ontario;
OR b) Leased to an ONTARIO RESIDENT for a term of at least one year, and standing his entire NORTHERN HEMISPHERE STUD SEASON in the Province of Ontario during the term of that lease, with a copy of the written lease agreement being filed with Standardbred Canada.
ONTARIO SIRED means a foal sired by a Stallion that is recognized as an ONTARIO SIRE by the Standardbred Improvement Program in the year of conception. Only foals conceived as a result of mating between a mare in the Northern Hemisphere and a recognized ONTARIO SIRE during the NORTHERN HEMISPHERE STUD SEASON are eligible to be registered with Standardbred Canada as ONTARIO SIRED. Foals conceived from frozen semen will be eligible to be registered with Standardbred Canada as ONTARIO SIRED only if the semen was collected and frozen in Ontario and is from a recognized ONTARIO SIRE at the time of collection and when the mare was inseminated. The semen must have been obtained through the ONTARIO SIRE registered owner, lessee or syndicate manager. If a recognized ONTARIO SIRE dies during the breeding season, the breeder may use frozen semen to finish that Northern Hemisphere breeding season only, provided the semen meets the above requirements.
ONTARIO STALLION LESSEE means an ONTARIO RESIDENT, who has signed a lease in which the initial term of the lease must be for no less than one year. A lessor’s rights may not be transferred during the NORTHERN HEMISPHERE STUD SEASON, except to another ONTARIO RESIDENT, and then only if the Program is so advised in writing by the previous lessor within thirty (30) days of the transfer.
Stallions under lease become ineligible for recognition as an ONTARIO SIRE where any of the rights of the lessor under the lease are transferred:
a) To a non-Ontario Resident during the stallion’s NORTHERN HEMISPHERE STUD SEASON; OR
b) To an ONTARIO RESIDENT, unless the Program is notified in writing within thirty (30) days of the transfer.
NORTHERN HEMISPHERE STUD SEASON means that period during each calendar year, commencing when the stallion breeds his first mare situated in the Northern Hemisphere, and ending the day the stallion breeds his last mare situated in the Northern Hemisphere. During this entire period, the stallion must remain situated in Ontario to remain eligible for ONTARIO SIRE status. However, for breeding stallions that are also racing or in the event of a medical emergency, Ontario Racing, in its sole discretion, may waive the requirement to remain situated in Ontario.
Dual Hemisphere Stallions must remain situated in Ontario for at least 170 consecutive days. Time spent by Dual Hemisphere Stallions in quarantine in North America can be counted towards their requirement to be in Ontario for 170 days.
ONTARIO RESIDENT means a person whose permanent home or principal home is in Ontario and who resides at that home for no less than 182 days in a calendar year.
A Registered stable, farm, corporation or limited partnership, registered with Standardbred Canada as an ownership group, will be considered an ONTARIO RESIDENT, IF:
- The stable, farm, corporation or limited partnership is registered with Standardbred Canada, AND
- The primary business location for the stable, farm, or limited partnership — or the registered head office for the corporation — is in the Province of Ontario, AND
- At least one member of the Registered stable, farm, corporation or limited partnership is an ONTARIO RESIDENT. Should any dispute or disagreement arise, the person (or entity) bears the onus of proving that they fall within the meaning of ONTARIO RESIDENT.