Schenectady, NY — Participants in the New York Sire Stakes County Fair Series will experience several changes this year, including new procedures for entering horses. These are outlined in the NYSS County Fair Book which was mailed to participants last week and is available online at www.nysirestakes.com.

Entries for NYSS County Fair events will now be made through a single New York County Fair entry hotline at 518.388.0964 or online through the USTA. Horsemen planning to enter online should be sure to add the fair tracks to their account in advance.

There are two exceptions for the entry hotline. Entries for Goshen racing on July 4 and Erie County Fair/Buffalo racing on July 10 will be taken online or by the tracks directly: Goshen: 845.294.5333; Erie County/Buffalo Raceway: 716.649.1280, ex. 6235.

Entries for all overnight events at the fairs should be made by calling the fair race secretary directly. These numbers are included with information on each fair in the NYSS 2019 County Fair Schedule Book.

This new entry system will allow all NYSS County Fair division post positions to be done by USTA’s electronic draw system.

Additionally, horsemen should note that all fair events will be drawn with a four-day box (excluding Sundays). Participants are reminded to be sure to pay attention to the draw schedule, which can be found online here.

In regards to the conditions, rules for awarding points in the event of a cancellation were also updated for 2019. If a fair event is canceled, each horse on the grounds for the uncontested event at the time of declaring off will be awarded 10 points. If the entire card is canceled, all horses must be on the grounds by post time of the first race. Previously, points were prorated. Money and starts will continue to be awarded as they have been. Horsemen should make sure to check in with the race secretary and the NYSS County Fair Inspector to ensure your horse is recorded in attendance. For more information, see County Fair Condition No. 25 on page 28 of the County Fair Schedule Book.

“These changes were made with the goal of providing better service to our participants and to streamline the entry process for our County Fair Series,” said M. Kelly Young, executive director of the Agriculture and New York State Horse Breeding Development Fund. “We hope to see you at the fairs this summer for another exciting season with the opportunity to introduce harness racing to new audiences.”

Any questions can be directed to Fund at 518.388.0178 or by emailing info@nysirestakes.com.