Mountaineer Pick #3 Rules

Mountaineer's rules for the pick 3 are too brutal to play in my opinion. Those scratches weren't last minute gate scratches. The first leg was around 10 minutes to post. The second leg was a scratch as soon as betting opened up for that race. I don't believe the horse was even at the track, or was ineligible for the condition. The reason I say that is because someone on another forum, who actually goes to the track, stated that this has happened before.