by Nick Salvi, for Tioga Downs

Nichols, NY — The 2008 edition of the Kindergarten Classic for 2-year-olds will see two of the six series legs raced at The Meadowlands during the month of July.

Launched in 2006, the Kindergarten series is designed to provide experience gathering races for freshman trotters and pacers while offering generous purses of $10,000 for each leg and an estimated $85,000 for the finals. It has proven a valuable tool for many top conditioners in preparing their young horses for late summer stakes.

In previous seasons, all six legs have been raced at Tioga or Vernon Downs, with each track hosting two of the four finals. In 2008, The Meadowlands will host divisions of the colt and filly trotters on July 9 and July 30 with the pacers scheduled for July 10 and 31.

The series then moves on to Tioga and Vernon through its completion, with the rich finals slated for mid-September. The complete schedule is available at Tioga’s Web site, www.tiogadowns.com.

Nomination to the Kindergarten Classic series requires a single payment of $750 due by April 15. An entry fee of $250 is due for each leg in which the nominee is entered.

Tioga Downs will again offer several affordable late-closing events that coincide with the opening of the 2008 racing season at the southern New York oval. Purses for these races are very competitive with like events in the region. They also have an April 15 close and may be inspected at the Web site.

Live racing at Tioga Downs kicks off on Derby Day, May 3.