THE result of the 7 1/2-furlong Kingston Stakes was announced as a dead heat involving Miniature Man trained by Jason DaCosta and ridden by Dick Cardenas and Further and Beyond trained by champion conditioner Anthony Nunes with co-champion jockey Dane Nelson in the saddle.

The Supreme Racing Guide for the benefit of readers shares the Racing Rules as it pertains to dead heats in races.

Rule 53 of the Racing Rules states:

RULE #53 – “The judge shall occupy the judge’s box at the time the horses pass the winning post. He shall announce his decision immediately or after considering the photograph and shall determine the winner according to that part of the horse’s head, excluding the ears, which first reaches the perpendicular plane of the near edge of the winning post, provided that the complete body of the horse passes the winning post with his rider in the saddle, and shall determine the remaining placings in a similar manner. Such decision shall be final, unless an objection to the winner, or any placed horses, is made and sustained – provided that this rule shall not prevent a judge from correcting any mistake after receiving permission to do so from the stewards. But no correction shall be permitted after the official signal is displayed.”

It is clearly indicated in Rule 53 that the placing judge determination of the winner of a race is “that part of the horse’s head, excluding the ears, which first reaches the perpendicular plane or the near edge of the winning post, provided the complete body of the horse passes the winning post with his rider in the saddle, and shall determine the remaining placings in a similar manner”.

Then there is the question of purse money payments when there is a dead heat.

That situation is also included in the Racing Rules.

Rules number 209 – 212 of the Racing Rules regarding dead heats and payments read as follows:

RULE 209 – When horses run a dead heat, the dead heat shall not be run off.

RULE 210 – Each horse that divides a prize for first place shall be deemed a winner.

RULE 211 – When two horses run a dead heat for first place, all prizes to which the first and second horses would have been entitled shall be divided equally between them and this principle shall be observed in dividing the prizes, whatever the number of dead-heaters and whatever the place for which the dead heat is run.

RULE 212 – When a dead heat is run for second place and an objection is made to the winner of the race and sustained, the horses which ran the dead heat shall be deemed to have run a dead heat for first place and this principle shall be observed in dividing the prizes, whatever the number of dead-heaters and whatever the place for which the dead-heaters run.

In the case therefore of Miniature Man and Further and Beyond, the purse monies for first and second place will be added together and then shared equally between the two.