February stakes payments due
February 16, 2009,from the USTA Communications Department
Columbus, OH — The February stakes payment deadline is fast approaching and many stakes sponsors have sent out reminder notices. Listed below are the notices that have been sent to the USTA Newsroom.
Smith Trot deadline is February 17
Manalapan, NJ — The second sustaining payment for the Charles I. Smith Trotting Classic, sponsored by the Standardbred Breeders & Owners Association of New Jersey, is due on Tuesday, Feb. 17.
The fee of $200 should be post marked or hand delivered by Feb. 17 to the SBOANJ office at 64 Business Route 33, Manalapan, NJ 07726.
The $100,000 (est.) Charles Smith for 3-year-old trotters is on September 11 at Freehold Raceway with elimination races on September 4. The filly companion event, the $85,000 (est.) Helen Smith is on August 21 with elims on August 14, also at Freehold.
— Carol Hodes
Adios, Adioo Volo 3-year-old payments due
Meadow Lands, PA — The Meadows wishes to remind horse owners and staking services that payments for 3-year-olds to sustain eligibility for the 2009 Delvin Miller Adios and the Quinton Patterson Adioo Volo must be postmarked by Tuesday, Feb. 17.
Payments are $600 for The Adios, $300 for the Adioo Volo.
This year’s Adios will offer an estimated $820,000 total purse with eliminations contested on Friday, July 24 and the final on Saturday, Aug. 1.
Payment forms are available on the Web site of the Hambletonian Society (www.hambletonian.org).
Payments should be mailed to: Hambletonian Society, Inc., Cranbury Gates Office Park, 109 S. Main Street, Cranbury, NJ 08512-3174.
— Evan Pattak
Deadline nears for Ontario Sires Stakes payments
Toronto, ON — The Ontario Sires Stakes administration would like to remind everyone that Feb. 15 is the deadline for 3-year-old OSS and Trillium payments.
However, since the 15th falls on a Sunday and Monday, Feb. 16, is a holiday, payments postmarked by Tuesday, Feb. 17, will be accepted. Payments can also be made in person at the ORC office at 10 Carlson Court, Suite 14, Toronto, ON up until 5:00 p.m. on Tuesday, Feb. 17.
Checks should be made payable and mailed (registered mail is recommended) to: Ontario Sires Stakes, 10 Carlson Court, Suite 400, Toronto, ON M9W 6L2.
The C$400 OSS sustaining fee for 2-year-olds is not due until March 15 and reminder notices will be mailed early next week.
For more information please contact Karen Hauver, OSS Administration Coordinator, (519) 369-3545.
— Karen Hauver
Western Fair moves nomination deadline
London, ON — The nomination date for Western Fair Raceway’s top pair of marquee events in 2009 has been pushed back from February 15 to February 17.
“So long as entries for the Molson Pace and our inaugural Forest City Pace have a postmark no later than February 17 we’ll accept them,” says the track’s Racing Secretary and General Manager, Ian Fleming. “We pushed back the nomination deadline since February 15th is a Sunday, and next Monday, the 16th, is a holiday.”
The nomination fee for the 2009 Molson Pace is C$1,000. The C$25,000 eliminations for the Free For All event will be held on May 22 and the final is set for May 29. Last year, the Molson Pace final carried a purse of C$280,000 as the richest single race in the track’s 47-year history.
The nomination fee for the inaugural Forest City Pace is C$750. The Fillies and Mares Open Pace will hold C$18,000 eliminations on October 10 and the C$150,000 final is set for October 17.
Western Fair’s nomination forms can be downloaded from the track’s Web site at www.westernfair.com/race/stakes.html.
— Frank Salive
Feb. 15 payments due for Hambletonian Society-serviced stakes
Cranbury, NJ — As the saying goes “You gotta be in it to win it” and the next step to eligibility for millions of dollars of stake purses in 2009 is fast approaching.
Since February 15 is a Sunday, and Monday, February 16 a federal holiday with no mail delivery, payments for all Hambletonian-Society serviced Stakes must be postmarked by midnight on Tuesday, February 17, per USTA rule 12, section 4.
The Hambletonian Society services 139 of harness racing’s richest and most prestigious events and provides one-stop shopping for your staking needs.
Our Web site, www.Hambletonian.org contains all the tools and information necessary to stake your horse yourself. Race conditions, payment forms, results of the previous year’s winners and much more information is now available online. For more information call the Society offices at (609) 371-2211.
— Moira Fanning
Yonkers stakes/late closer deadlines approaching
Yonkers, NY — Just a friendly reminder about the upcoming deadlines for Yonkers Raceway’s stakes/late closer events.
Nominations for the Petticoat/Sagamore Hill Pacing Series, for 3- and 4-year-olds of both genders, close this Sunday, Feb. 15. Nominations for the Raceway’s Free-For-All showcases, the George Morton Levy Memorial Pacing Series and a new companion event, the Blue Chip Matchmaker, close Sunday, March 1.
Nomination forms are available in the nightly racing program, various trade publications and on-line at www.yonkersraceway.com.
For further information, please contact the race office at (914) 457-2627.
— Frank Drucker
WEG stakes nominations reminder
Toronto, ON — Woodbine Entertainment Group would like to remind all owners, horsemen and women, that stake nominations for their major stake events close February 17, 2009. Also, sustaining payments are due for the 2009 Simcoe, Simcoe Filly and SBOA stake events for 3-year-olds.
For more detailed information, please visit the Standardbred page at www.woodbineentertainment.com.
Envelopes must be clearly postmarked no later than the said due date or payment will not be accepted. Registered mail is recommended.
— Greg Blanchard
Payments due Feb. 15 for 2009 NJSS races
Trenton, NJ — The February 15 deadline for New Jersey Sire Stakes first sustaining payments is the last chance for owners of NJ-sired 2-year-old and 3-year-old pacers and trotters to be kept eligible to the lucrative 2009 Premier and Green Acres racing programs.
The NJSS Premier Division, previously called the Pari-Mutuel Division, begins in May at The Meadowlands and August at Freehold Raceway. The Green Acres Division begins in August at Freehold.
The NJSS Premier Division payment is $350 for 2-year-olds and $400 for 3-year-olds. The Green Acres Division payment is $100 for both 2- and 3-year-olds.
Also on February 15, a $650 supplemental 2008 yearling nomination (for foals of 2007) can be made for eligibility to the N.J. Sire Stakes. That fee is in addition to the sustaining payments for 2-year-olds also due on February 15.
The 2-year-old sustaining payment must be made in order to keep the horse eligible as a 3-year-old in 2010, even if the horse does not race in 2009 as a 2-year-old. Supplemental nominations are also due February 15 for the NJSS-sponsored 2009 Lou Babic Open Pace ($400) and Babic Filly Pace ($300).
These 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.
— Leon Zimmerman
Delaware, Ohio payments must be postmarked by Feb. 17
Delaware, OH — Just a friendly reminder that since February 15 is a Sunday, and Monday, February 16, is a Federal holiday with no mail delivery, sustaining payments for many of the 2009 Delaware, Ohio Grand Circuit stakes must be postmarked by Tuesday, February 17. These are for foals of 2006.
All payments must be payable to the Delaware County Fair and mailed to: Tom Wright, P.O. Box 1560, Powell, OH 43065. The staking office telephone number is (614) 847-1948.
The stakes payments are for the following:
Little Brown Jug No. 64 — $750
Jugette No. 39 — $500
Old Oaken Bucket — $500
Buckette — $400
The estimated purse for the 2009 Little Brown Jug is $700,000 and the estimated purse for the 2009 Jugette is $400,000. The Little Brown Jug will be raced on Thursday afternoon, September 24, and the Jugette will be contested on Wednesday afternoon, September 23.
A nomination fee of $300 is due February 17 for the $110,000 (est.) Winbak Farm Pace for foals of 2005 and up. The Winbak is an open pace for 4-year-olds and up.
— Tom White
NYSS reminds horsemen of payment schedule for 2009
Albany, NY — The New York Sire Stakes officials remind horsemen to make their payments to be eligible to race in the 2009 NYSS season. The first payments are due February 15 with second payments due April 15 for the Sire Stakes/State Fair and the County Fair series. The Late Closers Series payments are due each year after the second Sire Stakes series race in each age group.
The 2009 NYSS Payment Schedule is as follows:
2-Year-Old Payments
Sire Stakes #49:
$200 due February 15, 2009
$350 due April 15, 2009
State Fair:
$100 due February 15, 2009
$200 due April 15, 2009
County Fair:
$25 due February 15, 2009
$75 due April 15, 2009
Late Closers:
$300 due July 27, 2009
3-Year-Old Payments
Sire Stakes #48:
$250 due February 15, 2009
$450 due April 15, 2009
State Fair:
$100 due February 15, 2009
$250 due April 15, 2009 (Fillies)
$350 due April 15, 2009 (Colts)
County Fair:
$25 due February 15, 2009
$75 due April 15, 2009
Late Closers:
$300 due June 22, 2009
The 2009 New York Sire Stakes racing season begins in June; however those with eligible horses must make payments prior to the season’s start to race.
Checks or money orders must be postmarked by the dates above and made payable to the Agriculture & New York State Horse Breeding Development Fund. Address: 90 State Street, Albany, NY 12207. The NYSS Payment Form is available for download at www.nysirestakes.com, go to the “forms and downloads” page.
For more information, visit www.nysirestakes.com or contact the Agriculture & New York State Horse Breeding Development Fund at (518) 436-8713.
— Agriculture & NYS Horse Breeding Development Fund