LEXINGTON, Ky. – The Kentucky Horse Racing Commission on Tuesday gave unanimous approval to several rule changes that will allow the commission to make limited comments about ongoing adjudications and open up stewards’ hearings to the general public. The changes had been recommended for approval by the commission’s Rules Committee during a meeting last week. Earlier this year, the commission’s chairman, Jonathan Rabinowitz, had urged the commission to support the changes. “This is a great step, first step, in revising some of these rules in allowing the commission to have more transparency to the public,” Rabinowitz said after the vote was taken. Among the most prominent of the new rules is one that will allow the commission to issue basic comments or respond to inquiries about ongoing adjudications “if and only if such information would not unduly impact investigations.” That information could include the results of positive drug tests or the identities of license holders who have been alleged to have violated racing rules. The KHRC sought the rule changes after receiving criticism over its refusal to confirm or deny several basic details of a case involving the trainer Bob Baffert and a positive test in the horse Medina Spirit after last year’s Kentucky Derby. Regulations in force at that time prevented the commission from commenting on cases until stewards issued a ruling. That did not occur until February of this year, eight months after the Derby. Another rule change would open stewards’ hearing to the general public. The language includes a caveat allowing stewards to close the hearing if “there is a situation where federal or state law, the U.S. Constitution, or other laws require a hearing to remain confidential,” according to the KHRC’s legal counsel. In addition, the KHRC approved another set of rule changes that will require owners or trainers to select a laboratory for split-sample testing within five days of receiving a list of laboratories available for the testing. A separate rule change requires the split sample to be sent to the selected laboratory within seven days of the selection. Those changes are intended to speed up the adjudication of drug positives, also in reaction to the Baffert case. Due to legal challenges, the split-sample test from Medina Spirit was not sent to a testing laboratory for months after the initial test was returned to the commission. In other actions at the Tuesday meeting, the KHRC approved two new wagers for the Kentucky Oaks and Kentucky Derby programs at Churchill Downs on May 6-7, an “all 3-year-old pick 3” and an “all dirt races pick 5.” The Oaks and Derby programs have consistently set wagering records over most of the last decade. The commission also approved the transfer of the Aug. 13 live-racing date this year from Ellis Park to Churchill Downs. Earlier this year, Churchill announced it had reached an agreement with Ellis to hold a live race date on Aug. 13 to run four stakes races traditionally held in mid-August at Churchill’s Arlington Park outside Chicago. Churchill did not apply for live racing dates at Arlington this year.