(a) If two or more horses are coupled in the betting as an entry and one or more of them shall be disqualified for violation of the rules of racing, the balance of the entry shall also be disqualified if in the judgment of the judges such violation prevented any other horse or horses from finishing ahead of the other part of the entry. If said violation is without such effect upon the finish of the race, penalty therefor may be applied against the offender and the balance of the entry may go unpunished.

(b) This section shall not apply to horses coupled as a field in the betting, nor to a horse, part of an entry penalized for running, or breaking gait, if in the opinion of the judges such break does not aid any other horse in the entry to improve his position at the finish other than being advanced in the summary as a result of the penalty. In the case of a horse coupled as the field, only the offending horse shall be disqualified.