March stakes payments due today
March 16, 2009,from the USTA Communications Department
Columbus, OH — The March stakes payment deadline is today and many stakes sponsors have sent out reminder notices. Listed below are the notices that have been sent to the USTA Newsroom.
Final reminder for series deadlines at Hoosier Park
Anderson, IN — Hoosier Park Racing and Casino is nearing the start of the 16th season of Standardbred racing. Several new late closing series will be offered during the 80-day race meet. The first deadline for the new late closing series at the Anderson, Ind. track is Monday, March 16.
The “Future Stars” series kicks off the first week of racing with trotters in action Wednesday, March 25, and horse and gelding pacers beginning Friday, March 27. Filly and mare pacers will be featured in the series beginning Saturday, March 28. Each series for inexperienced horses are for non-winners of two races or $10,000 lifetime. The “Future Stars” series will offer three $6,000 preliminary legs. The top 10 from each series will return for the $15,000 (est.) finals Friday, April 17 and Saturday, April 18 for pacers and Tuesday, April 28 for trotters. Nominations are due by Monday, March 16.
The “Claim to Fame” series gets underway Tuesday, March 31, for $10,000 claimers. The series will offer three $8,000 preliminary rounds followed by a $20,000 (est.) final. The second round of the series will be offered a month later to horses racing for a claiming price of $20,000, rolling through three $12,000 preliminary rounds followed by a $30,000 (est.) final. Nominations for the first round of the “Claim to Fame” series are due by Friday, March 20.
Claiming horses in the lower ranks will have an opportunity to show off their talents in the “Survivor Series” geared toward $5,000 claimers. The series begins Thursday, April 16, with 40 spots in four races. Only 20 horses will come back for two races in round two on Thursday, April 23. The $15,000 championship will be held Thursday, April 30, for the top 10 horses.
For more information on all late closing series, go to www.hoosierpark.com under the racing section. All nominations and checks are due to Hoosier Park Racing and Casino to Standardbred Racing Secretary Gregg Keidel.
— Tammy Knox
DSBF payments due March 15
Dover, DE — The Delaware Standardbred Breeders’ Fund payments are due March 15.
The payments for 3-year-olds are $300 and for 2-year-olds are $100.
Payments must be postmarked by Monday, March 16. We strongly advise the use of a mailing method which can be tracked.
Also, because the first draw for 3-year olds is on March 17, 18, and 21, it is permissible to drop them off at Dover Downs in the DHRC license office — attention B A Davis or Brian Manges.
We must have those payments in this office in order for horses to draw into the race.
Forms are available at www.desbf.com.
For more information contact Judy Davis-Wilson at (302) 698-4610.
— Judy Davis-Wilson
Indiana Downs payments due
Shelbyville, IN — The $100 nominating payment for The Elevation (2-year-old colt and gelding pacers) is due on March 15, 2009, but must be postmarked by March 16, 2009.
In addition, sustaining payments for The Monument Circle and Circle City are also due on March 15, but must be postmarked by March 16.
Nomination forms can be found on the Indiana Downs Web site by clicking on this link.
— Indiana Downs
Tioga/Vernon payments due
Nichols, NY — Several stakes payments become due on March 15 for races at Tioga and Vernon Downs, including the rich Empire Breeders Classic, a race for New York bred 3-year-old pacers and trotters.
Three separate payments are due for the 2009, 2010, and 2011 EBC races. The first payment is a sustaining payment of $1,000 for 3-year-olds to keep them eligible for this year’s $250,000 (est.) races. New York bred 2-year-olds will require a first time payment of $350 to remain eligible for the 2010 version of the EBC. Stallion owners are also reminded that a stallion fee is due to keep your foals eligible to the 2011 race. That fee will be equivalent to the stud fee in 2007.
The first round of payments are also due on March 15 for Tioga and Vernon’s older horse divisions. A first time payment of $1,500 will be due for the Credit Winner, a $140,000 (est.) open trot; the Artiscape, a $120,000 (est.) open mare pace; the Conway Hall, a $125,000 (est.) open mare trot; and the Miss Versatility, a $120,000 (est.) open mare trot that consists of three legs and a final, all contested on different sized tracks, concluding with the half-mile configuration of the Delaware (Ohio) Fairgrounds on Jug Day.
Stall applications will also be due on March 15 for both Tioga and Vernon Downs.
For more information on these races as well as entry forms and stall applications, please visit our Web sites at www.tiogadowns.com and www.vernondowns.com. You may also contact Jason Bluhm at (607) 699-7688 for more information.
— Dustin Ross
Payments due March 15 for NJ-Sired Babic Paces
Trenton, NJ — An important sustaining payment is due March 15 in order to keep New Jersey-sired 2-year-old pacers eligible to the 2009 Lou Babic Memorial Paces, which are sponsored by the New Jersey Sire Stakes Program.
Due on March 15 are sustaining payments of $700 for the Babic Pace open and $400 for the Babic filly division. These payments should be mailed to NJSS, P.O. Box 330, Trenton, NJ 08625.
The Babic Open Pace, with an estimated purse of $120,000, and the Babic Filly Pace, with an estimated purse of $75,000, are scheduled for September 12 at Freehold Raceway. Elimination heats, if necessary, are scheduled for September 4 for the filly division and September 5 for the open division.
–Leon Zimmerman
WEG stakes payment reminder
Toronto, ON — Woodbine Entertainment Group would like to remind all owners, horsemen and women, of the upcoming stakes closing on March 16, 2009. There are numerous Stake nominations and sustaining payments that are due for the circuit’s major stake events.
The 3-year-old Ontario Sired Fillies have a sustaining payment for the 2009 WEG SBOS event.
The 2-year-olds have sustaining payments due for the 2009 Champlain Open & Champlain Fillies, as well as sustaining payments to be eligible (as 3-year-olds) to the 2010 Simcoe Open, Simcoe Fillies and SBOA.
For more detailed information, please visit the Standardbred page at the following link.
Envelopes must be clearly post-marked no later than the said due date or payment will not be accepted. Registered mail is recommended.
— Greg Blanchard
OSS 2-year-old payments due March 15
Toronto, ON — The Ontario Sires Stakes Administration would like to remind everyone that since March 15 falls on a Sunday this year, the deadline for the C$400 sustaining fee for Ontario-sired 2-year-olds that were nominated to the OSS as yearlings in 2007, is extended to midnight of Monday, March 16, 2009.
Please be advised that envelopes dropped into a mailbox do not always get postmarked that day. We recommend sending payments by registered mail so you will have proof that you sent it and the envelope can be tracked. If not sending by registered mail, please ensure that the envelope has a postmark of March 16 or earlier.
If you did not receive the sustaining notice that was mailed mid-February, just print your horse’s name and tattoo number on the front of your check and mail it to: Ontario Sires Stakes, 10 Carlson Court, Suite 400, Toronto, ON M9W 6L2.
For more information please contact: Karen Hauver, OSS Administration Coordinator, (519) 369-3545, or e-mail records@ontariosiresstakes.com.
— Karen Hauver