by John Manzi, for the Delvin Miller Harness Drivers Association

Monticello, NY — The 2010 Billings Series kicks off its 29th season on Friday, April 23, at Pompano Park with a new name for the competition.

“By unanimous vote of the Board of our Association, the name of our sponsoring society has been changed to the Delvin Miller Harness Drivers Association and the official name of the series will now be known as the C.K.G. Billings Harness Driving Championship Series. No longer will the word “amateur” be emphasized,” said Peter Gerry, the president of the DMHDA.

“Another change will be that the participating drivers will need to select ahead of time which region they want the points they earn in the “wild card” legs to be applied,” Gerry explained. “No longer will wild card leg points be counted in both regions for each driver. This will reduce the likelihood, if not eliminate, the situation that led to one driver winning points in both the Midwest and Eastern Regions. And at remote venues the horses entered must fit the conditions written by the local race offices.”

Gerry has laid out a racing schedule that will continue throughout the United States and Canada until late November when the regional finales will be contested. The Eastern Region Final will be on Monday, Nov. 22, at Harrah’s Chester’s five-eighths-mile oval in greater Philadelphia, while the Midwest Regional Final will be raced over the mile track at Balmoral Park in greater Chicago on Sunday, Nov. 21.

Once again The Meadows will host the Gold, Silver and Bronze Cup Championships on Monday, December 6, over their five-eighths-mile oval in Washington, Pa.

After the competition at Pompano Park on April 23, which by the way is a wild card event, the series moves to Balmoral Park for another wild card contest on Sunday, May 2.

Along the road to the series finales will be three trips to venues in Canada — one time at tracks on Prince Edward Island and on two other occasions at racetracks in Ontario.

The C.K.G. Billings Series is unique in that drivers, not horses, are nominated for the competition although participating trotters must fit certain criteria to be eligible to race. Each participating driver must be a member in good standing with the Delvin Miller Harness Drivers Association and licensed by either the USTA or Standardbred Canada and in the state or province where required.

The fee for regular members is $400. The fee for student members (ages 15-21) is just $50 although non-student junior members (ages 16-21) must pay $150. A patron nomination fee of $200 permits four starts only, although residents of Florida and states west of the Mississippi and Canada are allowed five starts.

All nominations must be mailed to the Delvin Miller Harness Drivers Association, 240 Main St., Goshen, NY 10924. Nominations to the Billings Series will close on May 1, 2010.