Rules & Regulations

All OSS races shall be conducted in accordance with the AGCO Rules of Standardbred Racing and individual racetrack rules approved by the AGCO. Racetrack retention barn rules may apply. All participants are strongly advised to make themselves familiar with rules specifically related to the OSS.

Rule 11.02.01
(Qualifying times, Gold and Grassroots Series events)
If a horse meets the conditions of Rule 11.01.01 and 11.01.02 it will be considered qualified and eligible to be declared to added money event races provided that one of its last three charted lines is a clean line in a purse, qualifying or schooling race, not more than sixty (60) clear days before the closing of declarations and its individual time in that clean charted line meets the following standards for age and the size of the track where it raced or qualified after the Judges have given appropriate allowances for track conditions.

Minimum Time required by Track Size and Age/Gait

Rule 11.02.02
Notwithstanding the provisions of 11.02.01 no horse shall be considered qualified and eligible to be declared to added money event races if that horse, since having obtained the clean charted line referred to in 11.02.01, is required to qualify in accordance with the Rules, including Chapter 12 where applicable, or is on the Judges List or is otherwise ineligible to race.

Rule 12.02.01
(Qualifying times, Prospect Series events, AGCO Rule 12.02.01 and associated rules)
When entering into overnight races, a horse’s individual time in its last clean charted line in a purse, qualifying or schooling race must meet the following time standard for the track at which it is entering to race, after the Judges have given appropriate allowances for track conditions on that day:

Minimum Time required by Track Size and Age/Gait 

Rule 12.10.01
A horse making a break in each of two consecutive races must qualify unless the breaks were equipment breaks or caused by interference.

Rule 12.10.03
Any horse that makes a break in stride on anything but a fast track, such as good, sloppy, snow, or heavy, shall be considered a clean line. Any horse charted with 3 consecutive breaks must qualify regardless of track condition.

Rule 12.10.04
Any horse participating in a qualifier that is currently qualified shall not become ineligible to be entered in a subsequent race should it be charted with a break in the unnecessary qualifier.

Rule 17.15 (a)(iv)
If the horse omitted by error was declared to a stake, futurity, early closing event or late closing event, the race shall be re-drawn provided the error is discovered prior to the printing of the program.

Any questions or inquiries concerning the Rules of Standardbred Racing should be directed to the Alcohol and Gaming Commission of Ontario (AGCO) or iagco.agco.ca.