from harness publicists across North America

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

New Meadowlands series close March 15

East Rutherford, NJ — Meadowlands Racetrack is offering two new pacing series, to be raced this spring, that will close on March 15.

The Hudson River is for 4- and 5-year-old pacers that have not won four pari-mutuel races or $150,000 lifetime, excluding earnings in any state-bred races. The series begins on April 13 and will have $18,000 legs at the Meadowlands, Mohegan Sun at Pocono Downs and Tioga Downs. The $75,000 (est.) final will be raced at the Meadowlands on May 11.

The All Sires welcomes 3-year-olds that started in any sire stake program and won less than $100,000 in 2012. Two $15,000 legs and the $60,000 (est.) final all take place at the Meadowlands through the month of April.

Also closing March 15 is the Night Styles for 4-year-old mares that are non-winners of three pari-mutuels or $50,000 life. Two $16,000 legs and a $45,000 (est.) final will be raced at the Meadowlands in April.

For nomination forms and any further information, visit the Meadowlands website.

— Nick Salvi

March payment deadline for Hambletonian Society stakes fast approaching

Cranbury, NJ — March sustaining and nominating payments for Hambletonian Society stake events are due Friday (March 15) and per USTA Rule 12 section 4, must be postmarked no later than midnight on Saturday (March 16).

The Hambletonian Society services 129 of harness racing’s richest and most prestigious events. The website (www.Hambletonian.org) contains all the tools and information necessary to stake your horse yourself.

All forms are available on the website and are PDF fillable. Race conditions, payment forms and much more information is now available online, as well as eligibility lists for races that had a final payment on Feb. 15, 2013.

For additional information call the Society offices at 609.371.2211.

Listed here are the stakes with payments for all ages due March 15.

The Historic 2-year-old races will be raced at Harrah’s Philadelphia. The 3-year-olds will remain at Tioga Downs for 2013.

— Moira Fanning

DSBF 2-year old payments due

Dover, DE — Delaware sired 2-year-olds who made a May 15, 2012, $40 nomination payment are required to make a $100 payment to race in 2013 and to maintain eligibility for 2014.

This payment must be accompanied by the correct form and be postmarked by Friday (March 15). Certified mail is highly recommended.

A late supplement payment can also be made for any 2-year-old who wasn’t nominated as a yearling. The fee is $350 plus the regular $100 sustaining fee.

The next payment for 2-year-olds is due May 15 in the amount of $200. If you aren’t going to race the horse as a 2-year-old this payment can be skipped.

For further information e-mail Judy.Davis-Wilson@state.de.us or call 302.698.4610. You can also visit the website at www.desbf.com.

— Judy Davis-Wilson

Tioga and Vernon payments due

Nichols, NY — Tioga and Vernon Downs’ 2013 marquee stakes require a March 15 nomination payment.

These include the Artiscape, Credit Winner, Muscle Hill and Roll With Joe (formerly Bettor’s Delight) for older horses, the Empire Breeders Classic for 3-year-olds and the Kindergarten Trotting Classic for 2-year-olds.

Please follow this link to download the necessary form.

— Nick Salvi

Florida stakes payments due

Pompano Beach, FL — Payments are due on March 15 for 2-year-olds in the Florida Breeders, Melvyn Aylor Memorial, Sunshine State and Stallion Stake.

For additional information, go to www.myfsboa.com.

— Rosie Huff

Maryland 2-year-old payments due March 15

Union Bridge, MD — Two-year-old payments (foals of 2011) are due to the Maryland Standardbred Fund and the Maryland Sire Stakes on March 15.

This payment must be made to maintain eligibility.

All staking forms, race dates and stallion pedigrees are now available online. Please use our website for all your current MSRF info and any updates as they become available.

We recommend that all payments be sent by certified mail. Please use the following address for the Maryland Standardbred Race Fund: P.O. Box 540, Union Bridge, MD 21791.

Regulations can be found on our website at www.msrfonline.com or you may call 410.775.0152 (office) or 240.285.0326 (cell).

— Cheri Stambaugh

Delaware Grand Circuit events payments due March 15

Delaware, OH — Two-year-old sustaining payments for the 69th edition of the Little Brown Jug, the 44th Jugette, the 62nd Old Oaken Bucket (3-year-old open trot) and the 63rd Buckette (3-year-old filly trot) are due March 15. These payments are for foals of 2011 and will be raced in 2014.

Sustaining payments are also due for the 74th Standardbred 2-year-old colt and filly stakes for foals of 2011 to be raced in 2013.

Also, a late nomination fee of $500 for the Winbak Farm Pace for 4-year-olds and up, to be contested on Sept. 19, 2013, is due March 15.

The estimated purse for the 2014 Little Brown Jug is $750,000 and $350,000 for the Jugette. The purse for the Old Oaken Bucket will be $150,000 and $125,000 for the Buckette. The estimated purses for the Standardbred 2-year-old colt pace and trot are $80,000; the Standardbred 2-year-old filly trot $62,000 and Standardbred 2-year-old filly pace $60,000.

The 2013 Delaware Grand Circuit meet opens Sunday (Sept. 15) and will continue Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday. There will be no racing on Monday (Sept. 16).

Make checks payable and send all entries to: The Delaware County Fair, Tom Wright, P.O. Box 1560, Powell, OH 43065.

For the latest news, information and nomination forms, visit the Little Brown Jug website: www.littlebrownjug.com.

March 15 Sustaining Fees:

Little Brown Jug No. 69 (3-year-old Open Pace to be raced in 2014) $500

Jugette No. 44 (3-year-old Filly Pace to be raced in 2014) $400

Old Oaken Bucket No. 62 (3-year-old Open Trot to be raced in 2014) $300

Buckette No. 63 (3-year-old Filly Trot to be raced in 2014) $200

Standardbred No. 74 (2-year-old Colt Pace to be raced in 2013) $400

Standardbred No. 74 (2-year-old Colt Trot to be raced in 2013) $400

Standardbred No. 74 (2-year-old Filly Pace to be raced in 2013) $300

Standardbred No. 74 (2-year-old Filly Trot to be raced in 2013) $300

March 15 Late Nomination Fee:

Winbak Pace (4-year-old and Up Open Pace to be raced in 2013) $500

— Jay Wolf

Pennsylvania payments due March 15

Harrisburg, PA — A reminder to horsemen that Pennsylvania Sire Stakes payments for March must be postmarked by Friday (March 15).

For 2-year-olds, the payments due are $150 for pari-mutuels and $25 for fairs. This payment must be made for the horse to have any future opportunities in the Pennsylvania Sire Stakes (and the Stallion Series, eligibility for which is “included” in the pari-mutuel payments).

There are 2-year-old payments in May, but if these are not made because the horse may not be thought ready for stakes competition at two, your horse will still carry eligibility to the programs over to 2014, their 3-year-old season, with this March 15 payment.

For 3-year-olds, the one pari-mutuel payment of $500 is due March 15. The payment for 3-year-old fairs, $100, is not due until May 15. That date is also the nomination date for yearlings into the Pennsylvania program.

For further questions about the rich and multi-tiered Pennsylvania Sire Stakes program, contact Jerry Connors at gconnors@pa.gov or 717.787.5539.

— Jerry Connors

WEG’s March 15 stakes payments approaching

Toronto, ON — Nominations for Woodbine Entertainment Group’s major stakes events, including the C$1 million North America Cup, C$700,000 (est.) Metro Pace, C$700,000 (est.) Maple Leaf Trot and C$600,000 (est.) Canadian Pacing Derby, close Friday (March 15).

Also, 3-year-old Ontario-sired fillies have a sustaining payment for the 2013 WEG SBOA stakes event.

Two-year-olds have sustaining payments due for the 2013 Champlain Open and Champlain Fillies, as well as sustaining payments to be eligible as 3-year-olds to the 2014 Simcoe Open, Simcoe Fillies and SBOA.

Nominations can be made online through the link below. If sending nominations by mail, envelopes must be clearly postmarked no later than the said due date or payment will not be accepted. Registered mail is recommended.

To view all nomination forms, click here.

To view WEG’s online stakes payments, click here.

— Greg Gangle

Ben Franklin, PA All-Stars payments due

Wilkes-Barre, PA — The Mohegan Sun at Pocono Downs Race Office would like to remind everyone that there is a sustaining payment form now available for anyone planning to make payments for the Ben Franklin Free For All Pace or any of the Pennsylvania All-Stars events.

The form may be accessed on the Horsemen page by clicking here.

The deadline for the sustaining payments to these events is March 15.

— Jennifer Starr

Battle of Lake Erie noms due

Northfield, OH —– A reminder to the connections of all top Open pacers: nominations for Northfield Park’s $100,000 (guaranteed) Battle of Lake Erie are due by March 15.

The Battle of Lake Erie, which will be contested for the 28th time on Saturday night (July 20), features a purse of at least $100,000 guaranteed, with at least $60,000 in added money from Northfield. The field is limited to the eight top money earners in 2012-2013 that nominate, sustain and enter the event. Last year’s Battle, despite attracting only a field of seven, went for a purse of $111,500, and was won by Classic Rock Nroll.

If more than eight horses enter, horses that do not draw in due to the 2012-2013 earnings stipulation will have all of their nominating and sustaining fees returned.

The payment schedule for the 2013 Battle is $750 to nominate (postmarked by March 15), $1,000 to sustain (postmarked by April 15) and $1,500 to enter (due on race night, July 20). No owner or trainer may start more than two horses in the Battle, but can nominate as many as they want.

The Battle of Lake Erie is also part of harness racing’s new and expanded Grand Circuit for 2013.

For more information, contact Northfield’s Executive Vice President of Racing, Dave Bianconi, at 330.467.4101.

Nominations should be mailed to Dave Bianconi at: Northfield Park, P.O. Box 374, Northfield, OH 44067.

— Ayers Ratliff

Babic Pace payments due

Trenton, NJ — An important sustaining payment is due March 15 in order to keep New Jersey-sired 2-year-old pacers eligible to the 2013 Lou Babic Memorial paces sponsored by the New Jersey Sire Stakes program.

Due on March 15 are sustaining payments of $700 for the Babic Pace open and $400 for the Babic filly division. These payments should be mailed to NJSS, P.O. Box 330, Trenton, NJ 08625.

The Babic Open Pace, with an estimated purse of $90,000, and the Babic Filly Pace, with an estimated purse of $55,000, are scheduled for Sept. 7 at Freehold Raceway. Elimination heats, if necessary, are scheduled for Aug. 31 for both colt and filly divisions.

— Christopher Castens

Topline stakes payments due

Greenup, IL — Open to the world, the 2013 stakes payment for the Illinois Topline Stake is due March 15. Stakes conditions are detailed at this link.

There is only one nomination payment of $250 with a declaration of $50 due for each track when they race. Click here for a payment form.

For further information e-mail Randy Callahan at mayor62428@yahoo.com or call 217.232.5003.

— Randy Callahan