from RUS NY

Milford, NY — RUS New York is sorry to announce the cancelation of one of its legs of the 2016 Fair Series.

The race in Oneida County in Boonville, slated for July 26, has had to be canceled because Race Secretary Fred Kline says there will be too many horses on the grounds and the fair cannot accommodate any extra. He suggested going somewhere else to race.

Our committee is saddened by the news and hopes to be able to work something out for next year as members of the fair board have expressed interest in having RUS at the fair. In the meantime, members of the RUS New York Committee took Mr. Kline’s advice and have been able to add the Franklin County Fair in Malone to the race schedule. The race will be held on Wednesday (Aug. 10) with a post time of 1 p.m.

“It will be later in the season, but it will hopefully provide another race for riders and horses to gain needed points to get into the final,” RUS New York President Michelle Miller said. “The Malone race secretary was willing to have us last year but things just didn’t work as we just could not get enough horses to travel that far. We are trying to get a group to all ship together this year.

“Most fairs want to have us as we provide something new and exciting at no cost. Many even provide gifts and prizes. It is just hard to schedule races so that riders have fresh horses. We generally aim for one race a week if possible, but the fair schedule is what it is, and many race up against one another on the same day or on consecutive days. As we get more horses and riders we may be able to expand.”

The 2016 Fair Series started off with a bang with a very competitive race at Tioga County Fair in Owego. The field of four stayed together the entire race making for an exciting finish. Race announcer Doug Cater told the fans to “just start yelling for your favorite” as it was going to be a close finish.

Heather Reese won the H.S. Mead Memorial race aboard Jeanie Marie in a time of 2:07. This marked the mare’s first racing under saddle race. She is trained by Jennifer Sansone and prior to her victory at Oswego, she won her qualifier at Vernon Downs in 2:02.

Reese and Sansone, also known as “Team Pink,” are off to an exceptional start this season as they captured another victory in the second leg of the fair series at Afton. This time, Reese rode Iron Will to victory in a time of 2:11. The 10-year-old gelded son of Credit Winner is no stranger to the fairs as Reese drove him to two victories in last year’s series. Iron Will qualified at Vernon Downs a week earlier in 2:02.1.

Sansone said Team Pink was formed last year when Reese did not have a horse to ride in the Vernon Downs RUS Series.

“We have been friends since high school,” Sansone said. “We got talking and that’s when we decided for her to break Will.”

According to the 24-year-old trainer, Iron Will is a big horse who is hard to find a bike for that he will not hit when racing in harness. Sansone said she believes the horse is able to perform much better under saddle because he is able to stride out more.

So why doesn’t Sansone, a woman who has been training horses since she was in high school, ride herself?

This is a question she says she gets a lot. Her response is “The RUS riders don’t get enough credit in my opinion. You have to be in great shape and controlling a horse from the top of them is a lot different than sitting in a race bike. Some day I’d like to be able to compete, but for now it’s fun just training them and letting Heather ride. She’s one of my best friends, basically a big sister to me, so enjoying RUS as a team makes it a lot more exciting.”

Sansone said she and her dad work together at a farm in Vernon a few miles from the track and admits he was a bit skeptical about RUS when it first started. But now, she says, he is in love with it just as much as Reese and herself.

“Almost all of my horses in the barn are broke to ride and train under saddle. I think it helps a lot with their attitude, and they enjoy their job a lot more,” Sansone said.

“I think it gives another opportunity for some horses that might not be as fast or competitive in harness to be good at something else and get their confidence up,” Sansone added. “Most seem to enjoy racing under saddle more I think.”

Both Jeanie Marie and Iron Will are lower conditioned harness horses, according to Sansone. The goal, she says, is to get both of them to the fair final that will be held at Batavia Downs on Sept. 7.

Horses need at least two starts to be eligible for the RUS NY Fair Series Final. Points are earned along the way to determine final entries. A High Point Rider Award will once again be presented at the final to the rider who has earned the most points, regardless of horse(s) ridden throughout the series. Complete rules and regulations are posted on the RUS NY webpage, http://rus-newyork.com.

The next race will be held at “Little World’s Fair” in Hemlock on Tuesday (July 19). Post time is at noon. Visit www.rus-newyork.com/fair-dates.html for a complete list of race dates and entry information.