by John Manzi, for the CADC

Monticello, NY — The Catskill Amateur Drivers Club will be offering a Spring/Summer pacing series which will begin on May 11 and continue on consecutive Wednesdays throughout the months of May and June at Monticello Raceway.

The series will then move to Historic Track for a competition there on Friday, July 1. Then it’ll be back to the Mighty M on Sunday, July 17, and 10 days later the series will culminate in final and consolation on Wednesday, July 27.

According to CADA president Gerry Fielding, each of the preliminary legs will go for a $3,000 purse with a $5,000 purse on the line in the final. And with sufficient entries a possibility exists for a $3,000 consolation.

The series is for pacers, 3-years-old and older who are non-winners of $250 per start in their last six starts, but if they earned more than $20,000 in 2010 they would not be eligible. However, any horse entered for a $5,000 claiming tag will be eligible to compete.

The CADC series is open to all amateur drivers who are members in good standing with the Catskill Amateur Drivers Club; are at least 18 years old; and are licensed by either the USTA or Standardbred Canada. Licenses accepted include “A” full; “P” provisional; “Q” qualifying; “F” Fair; “M” Matinee; or “D” Canadian amateur. However, those with a Q, F or M license must have driven satisfactorily in at least five races to be eligible for this series.

Drivers competing in the CADC races will be assessed a $50 starting fee per race entry. The starting fee for the final will be $100.

Points will be awarded using the European Point System and only the drivers with the most points will be eligible for the series final.

Jordan Stratton, Monticello Raceway’s leading dash-winning driver during the 2008 campaign and currently a stalwart at Yonkers Raceway, got his start as a member of the Catskill Amateur Drivers Club and won the 2006 CADC Pacing Series when he was just 19 years old.

For a full list of the series conditions, or for further information, e-mail Gerry Fielding at trotski@verizon.net.