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Due to unsafe road conditions expected from ice storms Monday’s harness racing at Hawthorne was cancelled.

Covered Bridge, coming off a campaign where he earned over $528,000, took the feature, while driver George Brennan made six trips to the winner’s circle on opening night of the 2024 live racing season Monday at MGM Yonkers Raceway.

The United States Trotting Association invites member racetracks and horsemen’s organizations to apply for broadcast funding that will be made available in the Association’s 2024 budget. Funds are intended for the use of television, radio, or online production of harness racing events or special interest stories and telecasts.

The track was fast for the Monday afternoon (Jan. 22) card at Batavia Downs, and so was the pace at which money flowed through the windows from all outlets as the track handled $509,180, setting a new all-time one-day betting record on live racing at the track and marked the first time ever that the Downs handled in excess of one-half million dollars while under the ownership of Western Regional Off Track Betting.

In July 2023, the Harness Racing Museum & Hall of Fame announced that the trustees of the Museum had unanimously endorsed the election of Col. Elisha A. Buck, James Clark and Direct Scooter as harness racing Immortals. On Sunday (July 7), these individuals will be inducted into the Hall of Immortals during ceremonies held under the tent on the Museum lawn.

Since its inception in December of 2020, the USTA has partnered with the University of California – Davis to assist with a research project entitled, “Genetic Investigation of Traits of Economic Importance in Horses.”

The 2024 live racing season at MGM Yonkers Raceway is set to begin on Monday (Jan. 22) with an 11-race program.

The sport of harness racing is often cited for its failure to pursue consistent national television coverage through the past decades, but that all changed in 2023.

There’s a new reining champion in Hawthorne’s Open trotting ranks with fresh legs and an impressive local debut on his résumé. We’re talking about Bluebird Deacon from the Midwest division of the Erv Miller stable.

An earner of over $110,000 in 2023, Oberto has kicked off the new year in a big way, as he continued his winning ways on Sunday (Jan. 21) in the $18,000 co-featured Open Trot at MGM Northfield Park.