from Harness Publicists across North America

The Feb. 15 deadline is drawing near for many stakes payments. Below are a list of notices that have been submitted to the USTA Newsroom.

Ohio Sires Stakes nominations must be postmarked by Feb. 16

Columbus, OH — The nominations for the 2010 Ohio Sires Stakes events will be accepted through Feb. 16, due to Feb. 15 being a National Holiday and the post offices being closed.

Please make sure you witness the postmark being applied because any envelopes postmarked after Feb. 16 will have to be returned.

For nomination blanks for the Ohio Sires Stakes and all other Ohio stakes, go to www.ohha.com and click on ‘Ohio Stakes Guide.’

You will see 32 pages of racing opportunities in the Buckeye State that also include the Ohio Breeders Stake, the Ohio State Fair Stakes, the Ohio Breeders Championships, the Scarlet and Gray Stakes, the New Century Series and over 60 county fairs that conduct harness racing.

— Doug Thomas

Nominations for Swedish Breeders’ Crown due Feb. 15

Cranbury, NJ — If you have a 2-year-old trotter which may be exported to Europe within the next two years, you may want to consider nominating to the Swedish Breeders’ Crown.

The Hambletonian Society will be accepting the nomination payment for the Swedish Breeders’ Crown as agent on behalf of the Swedish Trotting Association. A single payment of $500 is due Feb. 15 and makes a foal, by an approved stallion including the following North American stallions, eligible to race as a 3-year-old and again as a 4-year-old: Angus Hall, Broadway Hall, CR Excalibur, Cantab Hall, Conway Hall, Credit Winner, Diesel Don, Duke Of York, Kadabra, Ken Warkentin, Muscles Yankee, Revenue, SJ’s Photo, Self Possessed and Windsong’s Legacy.

There are separate races for both colts (including geldings) and fillies. All the races are conducted over the distance of 2,140 meters with auto start. Four semi-final heats (48 horses) for each group will be held at Solvalla 10 days before the finals. Four finals (one for each group) will be held at the racetrack Sundbyholm, outside Eskilstuna, approximately 120 km southwest of Stockholm.

For more information, including the list of all approved stallions, check online by clicking here or contact the Hambletonian Society, Inc.

— Hambletonian Society

Payments due in Maryland

Temple Hills, MD — The 3-year-old payments (foals of 2007) are due to the Maryland Standardbred Fund and the Maryland Sire Stakes on Feb. 15, 2010.

Due to the Presidents’ Day holiday on Monday, Feb. 15, payments will be accepted bearing a postmark of Feb. 16, as per regulation.

We recommend that all payments be sent by certified mail.

Staking forms and regulations can be found on our Web site at www.msrfonline.com or you may call 301.567.0100.

— Cheri Stambaugh

Payments for all Hambletonian Society-serviced stakes must be postmarked by Feb. 17

Cranbury, NJ — The first payment deadline for eligibility to more than 100 stake events, headlined by the $1.7 million Hambletonian, is fast approaching.

Since Feb. 15 falls on a federal holiday with no mail delivery, payments for all Hambletonian Society-serviced stakes must be postmarked by midnight on Wednesday, Feb. 17, per USTA rule 12, section 4.

The Hambletonian Society services 109 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 and much more information is now available online. For more information call the Society offices at 609.371.2211.

Races with Feb. 15 payments due: Delvin Miller Adios (and Adioo Volo filly division); Arden Downs Stakes; Breeders Crown; Cane Pace (and Shady Daisy); Cleveland Classic (and Courageous Lady); Currier & Ives Trot (and Filly Trot); Dexter Cup (and Lady Suffolk Trot); Hambletonian (and Hambletonian Oaks); Max Hempt Memorial (and James M. Lynch filly division); Historic Series; Hoosier Cup; The Horseman; Keystone Classics 3-year-olds; Landmark Stakes; Messenger Stake (and Lady Maud); Progress Pace; W.N. Reynolds Memorial Stakes; Art Rooney Pace (and Lismore filly division); John Simpson Memorial colt and filly stakes; Tompkins-Geers stake; and Yonkers Trot.

— Moira Fanning

Nominations close Monday for Meadowlands stakes

East Rutherford, NJ — Nominations for Meadowlands Racetrack’s spring and summer stakes program, including the $1 million Meadowlands Pace, are due Monday, Feb. 15.

Fees for the Meadowlands Pace, which will be raced Saturday, July 17, have been decreased by 30 percent in 2010. The cost to nominate a colt to the track’s signature event is $1,000, while sustaining payments have been adjusted accordingly. The 2010 Meadowlands Pace carries a $100,000 guaranteed consolation race.

Applications for the Pace and all spring and summer stakes are located under the Horsemen section of Meadowlands Racetrack.com or by clicking this link.

— Amy Silver

The main reason for the delay in nominations is both tracks hope that a resolution will be reached regarding the impact fee monies currently being held by the courts. A hearing on the matter is scheduled for Feb. 23 and with a favorable outcome the tracks hope is to set the added money at traditional levels. A later decision would have the same effect but the hope of the tracks is that nominators will know with certainty prior to having to make their nominating decisions.

The stakes affected by the delay include the American-National aged stakes for both trotters and pacers, the American-National 3-year-old events for both breeds and gaits, the Windy City Pace, the Galt Stake, all Hanover Stakes for 3-year-olds, the Maywood Pace and Filly Maywood Pace as well as all of the 3-year-old events scheduled for Super Night.

Regardless of the decision of the courts, stake payments will be due for all aged, 3-year-old and 2-year-old stakes on March 15.

— Tom Kelley

These IDoA races would include the following only:

• Cardinal/Violet
• World Trotting Derby (first payment)
• Hayes Memorial Stakes
• Review Stakes

IDoA is only delaying the stake payments that are due Feb. 15. Payments that are due March 15 have not changed.

If stake payments have been sent to IDoA, the payment will be held until March 15.

Questions concerning these races can be directed to 217.782.4231.

— Sherri Powell

Indiana Downs nomination payments due Feb. 15

Shelbyville, IN — Nominations for the Monument Circle, Indiana Pacing Derby, Oliver Trotting Classic, Pride in Progress, and the Circle City for 3-year- olds are due Monday, Feb. 15, and must be postmarked on or before Feb. 15.

Nomination forms can be found on the Indiana Downs Web site by clicking on the following link.

— Indiana Downs

Stakes payments at Harrah’s Chester due Feb. 15

Chester, PA — Nominations for the lucrative Super Stakes Sunday events and the Ben Franklin Early Closer for Free-For-All pacers at Harrah’s Chester Casino & Racetrack are due Feb. 15.

Super Stakes Sunday will be August 22 featuring the $500,000 Battle of the Brandywine 3-year-old Open Pace, $500,000 Colonial 3-year-old Open Trot and the $350,000 Valley Forge 3-year-old Filly Pace. Both the “Battle” and the Colonial will have a $200,000 and $100,000 Consolation. The Valley Forge will offer a $150,000 and $75,000 Consolation. Seasonal earnings up to the day of the draw will determine as to what event level a horse will compete.

Eliminations for the Ben Franklin will be held on Sunday, July 11. They will carry a purse of $50,000 and on July 18 the final will go for $500,000.

— Rick Kane

NYSS reminds horsemen payments due Feb. 15

Albany, NY— New York Sire Stakes officials remind horsemen that continuation payments are due Feb. 15, 2010. These payments are required to be eligible to race in the 2010 NYSS season.

Checks or money orders must be in U.S. funds, postmarked by Feb. 15, 2010, and made payable to the Agriculture & New York State Horse Breeding Development Fund, 90 State Street, Suite 809, Albany, NY 12207. The NYSS Payment Form is available for download at www.nysirestakes.com, go to the “forms and downloads” page.

Please Note: In the United States, Feb. 15, 2010 is Presidents’ Day, a Federal holiday; therefore, U.S. parcels postmarked by Feb. 16, 2010 will be accepted.

The NYSS 2010 Feb. 15 payments are per horse as follows:

2-Year-Old Payments–3-Year-Old Payments:
Sire Stakes: $200–Sire Stakes: $250
State Fair: $100–State Fair: $100
County Fair: $25–County Fair: $25

The NYSS racing season begins in June with races held through October at all of New York’s pari-mutuel harness tracks and 22 county fairs. The full schedule is available at www.nysirestakes.com. A calendar view of the schedule is available on the NYSS Web site by clicking the appropriate link under “Calendar of Events” on the home page. Those with a Google account can download the NYSS race calendar to their mobile phone and/or desktop calendars.

For more information, visit www.nysirestakes.com or contact the Agriculture & New York State Horse Breeding Development Fund at 518.436.8713.

— Agriculture & New York State Horse Breeding Development Fund