from harness publicists across North America

The Feb. 15 deadline is drawing near for many stakes payments. Below are a list of notices that have been submitted to the USTA Newsroom.

Woodbine stakes nominations due Thursday

Milton, ON — Woodbine Entertainment would like to remind all owners and trainers that time is quickly running out to submit nominations for this year’s stakes.

Nominations for all Woodbine major stakes in 2018 are due this Thursday (Feb. 15).

The 2018 Woodbine stakes program features purses exceeding C$10 million and is headlined by the C$1 million Pepsi North America Cup (3-year-old pacers) on Saturday (June 16).

Other notable dates include the C$615,000 Canadian Pacing Derby and C$600,000 Maple Leaf Trot on Sept. 1, C$685,000 Canadian Trotting Classic on Sept. 15 and C$815,000 Metro Pace on Sept. 23.

The entire 2018 stakes schedule is available by clicking here.

Conditions and guidelines for all Woodbine stakes can be found in the 2018 Stakes Booklet.

Nominations can be paid online by clicking here.

A sustaining payment is also due Thursday for the 2018 Simcoe Stakes and SBOA Stakes (foals of 2015). A reminder regarding these sustaining payments can be viewed by clicking here.

Woodbine continues to handle stakes administration duties for Ontario racetracks.

Nominations close Thursday for the Confederation Cup (Flamboro Downs), Battle of Waterloo/Belles (Grand River Raceway), Balanced Image/Dream Of Glory (Hanover Raceway) and Kin Pace (Clinton Raceway).

Nominations to all of these events are made payable to Woodbine Entertainment.

If sending nominations or sustaining payments by mail, envelopes must be clearly postmarked no later than Feb. 15 or payment will not be accepted. Registered mail is recommended.

— Mark McKelvie

Hawthorne Night of Champions nominations for 3-year-olds due Feb. 15

Stickney, IL — Nominations for all 3-year-old races for Hawthorne’s Night of Champions are due by Thursday (Feb. 15).

The Plum Peachy, Robert Carey Memorial, Beulah Dygert Memorial, and Erwin F. Dygert Memorial all have nomination payments of $1,750 due. Nomination forms must be postmarked by Feb. 15 for horses to be eligible to race.

The nomination form can be found on the Hawthorne website at www.HawthorneRaceCourse.com in the Horsemen section under “NOC Nomination Form.”

Checks can be made payable to Suburban Downs, c/o Horseman’s Bookkeeper, 3501 S. Laramie Ave., Cicero, IL 60804.

The winter harness meet at Hawthorne continues through Feb. 19. Thoroughbred racing resumes at the end of March and continues through April. Summer harness action takes place May through September. Fall Thoroughbreds close out the year October through December.

For more information, visit www.Hawthorneracecourse.com.

— Jim Miller

OSS 3-year-old payment due Feb. 15

Toronto, ON — Owners of Ontario Sires Stakes eligible 3-year-olds are reminded that Feb. 15 is the deadline for the C$800 3-year-old OSS sustaining payment.

Checks should be made payable and mailed (registered mail is recommended) to: Ontario Sires Stakes, c/o Ontario Racing, 400 – 10 Carlson Court, Toronto, ON M9W 6L2.

Sustaining forms were mailed mid-January. The form is available on the OSS website for anyone who lost or did not receive one for their horse.

The C$600 OSS sustaining fee for 2-year-olds is due March 15 and reminder notices will be mailed this week.

For more information please contact: Karen Hauver, OSS Administration Coordinator, 519.369.3545, records@ontarioracingcommission.ca, www.ontariosiresstakes.com.

— Karen Hauver

Maryland staking payments due

Union Bridge, MD — Reminder that sustaining forms and possible payment are due Feb. 15 for the 4- and 5-year-old Open Maryland Sire Stakes for trotters and pacers (foals of 2013 and 2014).

Three-year-old payments (foals of 2015) are due to the Maryland Standardbred Fund and the Maryland Sire Stakes on Feb. 15.

All stallion pedigrees, staking forms, and stake dates are now available online including a printable calendar. Please use our website, www.msrfonline.com for all your current MSRF info and any updates as they become available.

We recommend that all payments be sent by certified mail. Please remember to check and make sure you use this address for the Maryland Standardbred Race Fund: P.O. Box 540, Union Bridge, MD 21791.

Regulations can be found on our website at www.msrfonline.com or you may call 410.775.0152 (office) or my cell at 240.285.0326.

— Cheri Stambaugh

Meadowlands stakes nominations due Feb. 15

East Rutherford, NJ — Nominations for The Meadowlands slate of Grand Circuit stakes/Early Closers will close on Feb. 15.

Heading up the nearly $10 million in stakes purses, The Meadowlands will host two of harness racing’s premier events. The July 14 $650,000 Meadowlands Pace headlines a card worth an estimated $2.3 million. Just a few weeks later, “The Greatest Day In Harness Racing” $3 million Hambletonian Day extravaganza closes the “Championship Meet” on Saturday (Aug. 4).

Also closing on Feb. 15 is the first group of Meadowlands Spring Late Closers for older horses.

— Meadowlands Media Relations

New Jersey payments due

Manalapan, NJ — Don’t miss these Feb. 15 sustaining payments.

New Jersey Sire Stakes for 2- and 3-year-olds. Premier Division sustaining payment in the amount of $300. Standardbred Development Fund sustaining payment in the amount of $100.

The Feb. 15 payment must be made in order to maintain eligibility.

For more information and payment forms visit the New Jersey Sire Stakes website at www.jerseyequine.nj.gov/sirestakes.htm or call 609.292.8830.

SBOANJ sponsored stakes for 3-year-old trotters. Charles Smith sustaining payment in the amount of $200. Helen Smith sustaining payment in the amount of $200. The Charles Smith and Helen Smith Trots will be contested at Freehold Raceway in September.

For more information and payment forms visit the SBOANJ’s website at www.sboanj.com or call 732.462.2357.

— Courtney Stafford/SBOANJ

Sustaining payment due for NJSS and NJSDF

Trenton, NJ — The Feb. 15 deadline for the New Jersey Sire Stakes and Standardbred Development Fund’s first sustaining payments is the last chance for owners of 2- and 3-year-old pacers and trotters to be kept eligible to the 2018 Premier Division and Standardbred Development Fund racing programs.

The NJSS Premier Division will be contested exclusively again at The Meadowlands in 2018 starting in May/early June for 3-year-olds and in late June/July for 2-year-olds.

In the fall the competition will switch to the New Jersey Standardbred Development Fund series of races. The SDF is open to all horses sired by a New Jersey-based stallion as well as the offspring of mares who have resided in New Jersey for a minimum of 150 days, regardless of where the sire stands. Previous registration of the mare while she was in foal and a yearling nomination are required to establish eligibility. The SDF races will be held beginning in September at Freehold Raceway, the location of all races in the series.

The NJSS Premier Division’s first sustaining payment remains $300 for both 2- and 3-year-olds. The initial Standardbred Development Fund sustaining payment for both 2- and 3-year-olds continues at $100.

Also on Feb. 15, a $650 supplemental 2017 yearling nomination (for foals of 2016) can be made for eligibility to the New Jersey Sire Stakes Premier Division and the SDF. Those fees are in addition to the sustaining payments for 2-year-olds also due on Feb. 15. The supplemental fee for the Sire Stakes Premier division is $850 if the foal was produced by an out-of-state breeding.

The first 2-year-old sustaining payments must be made in order to keep the horse eligible as a 3-year-old in 2019 to both the Premier Division and the Standardbred Development Fund, even if the horse does not race in 2018 as a 2-year-old.

Horsemen are also reminded of the upcoming nomination for the Renaissance Pace for 2-year-old pacers — open and filly divisions. The Renaissance will be raced in September at Freehold Raceway and is open to all horses that have been nominated to the Standardbred Development Fund. Sustaining fees of $700 for the Open Division and $400 for the Filly Division are due March 15.

Sustaining payment and supplemental nomination forms, as well as race dates and other information, may be found on the NJSS website at www.newjerseysirestakes.com.

All payments must be in U. S. funds. No late payments will be accepted and no billing notices will be mailed. Certified mail is strongly recommended to NJSS, P.O. Box 330, Trenton, NJ 08625.

— Christopher Castens/NJSS

FSBOA stake payments due by Feb. 15

Pompano Beach, FL — FSBOA stake payments are due by Feb. 15 for 3-year-old Florida-breds.

The payments are as follows:

FL Breeders Stake – $100; FL Stallion Stake – $100; and Sunshine State Stake – $100.

Sustaining forms and payment schedule are available on our website, www.floridaharnessracing.com.

— Rosie Huff/FSBOA

Payments for the Dr. H.M. Parshall Memorial sophomores due Feb. 15

Sustaining payments for 3-year-olds for the Dr. H.M. Parshall Memorial conducted by the Ohio Colt Racing Association (OCRA) are due on Thursday (Feb. 15).

For more information and/online forms please visit the OCRA’s website by clicking here.

— from the Ohio Colt Racing Association

Delaware (OH) Grand Circuit sustaining payments due

Delaware, OH — Sustaining payments for the sophomore classics Little Brown Jug (3-year-old colt pace), Jugette (3-year-old filly pace), Old Oaken Bucket (3-year-old open trot) and the Buckette (3-year-old filly trot) are due Thursday (Feb. 15). These payments are for foals of 2015.

The Little Brown Jug and Old Oaken Bucket will be raced Thursday (Sept. 20 )and the Jugette and Buckette on Wednesday (Sept. 19).

The 2017 Little Brown Jug attracted eight entries and went for a purse of $590,400, making the 72nd edition of the pacing classic the third richest sophomore colt pace last year. The 2017 purse was boosted thanks to an allocation from the Ohio Harness Horsemen’s Association’s portion of the video lottery terminal revenue. Ron Burke trainee, Filibuster Hanover captured the title with a mild upset over Fear The Dragon and Downbytheseaside in the 1:50 second heat.

The 2017 edition of the $273,250 Jugette featured Caviart Ally who defeated Blazin Britches and nine additional rivals. Last year’s Old Oaken Bucket and Buckette were contested for $105,125 and $80,575 respectively.

The 2018 Delaware Grand Circuit meet will continue to feature five days of racing (Sunday, Sept. 16 through Thursday, Sept. 20). Monday’s card will have a special 3 p.m. post. Sunday and Tuesday will go postward at 1 p.m. The Jugette and Jug cards will retain their traditional 11 a.m. start time.

— Jay Wolf

DSBF 3-year-old payments due

Three-year-old payments on DSBF eligibles are due to be postmarked by Thursday (Feb. 15); the amount is $300. A payment of $100 must have been made on March 15, 2017 in order to be eligible to make the payment. We can accept credit cards.

The first race at Dover is March 12. The qualifying time for pacers-2:06 and trotters-2:10.

E-mail Judy.Davis-Wilson@state.de.us for information or call 302.698.4610.

— Judy Davis-Wilson