by Regina Mayhugh, Communications Director, Ohio Harness Horsemen’s Association

Columbus, OH — It’s that time again, time to nominate your horses for Ohio’s staking opportunities. Ohio Harness Horsemen’s Association members will automatically receive a copy of the 2017 Ohio Staking Guide soon and it is on the front page of the OHHA website at www.ohha.com.

There is a change to the format of the guide. The conditions and informational sheets are found in the front half of the document with the nomination forms placed in the back, single sided, and can be torn out and sent in with payment to the designated locations. This document is also available as a typeable pdf document on the website, allowing you to type, print, then mail in with your payment.

Besides the change to the format of the staking guide, even more exciting news is the addition of the Buckeye Stallion Series event. The OHHA is proud to offer this racing opportunity for the 2- and 3-year-olds in Ohio. Several OHHA directors have worked on this concept for the past 10 months with these objectives for expanding the Ohio Sires Racing Program:

• Provide value for owners of Ohio sired horses
• Provide additional quality racing opportunities for Ohio sired horses
• Provide another place to showcase Ohio sired horses
• Provide space between the Sire Stakes and Fairs
• Increase the competitiveness of both the Ohio Sire Stakes and Ohio County Fair Racing
• Provide a long term sustainable program

For 2017 there will be three legs of each of the eight divisions of 2- and 3-year-olds. Each leg will race for a guaranteed purse of $12,500 while horses accumulate points towards the finals which will be raced for $40,000 at Northfield Park on Sept. 30. Be sure you check out pages 6-7 in the Staking Guide for complete details.