Schenectady, NY — The Agriculture & New York State Horse Breeding Development Fund today released the approved schedule for the New York Sire Stakes County Fair Series.

This year’s season gets underway Thursday (June 20) at the Chenango County Fair in Afton. The County Fair finals, scheduled for Sept. 5 at Monticello Raceway, will be contested for $10,000 purses in each of the eight divisions.

The full schedule of race dates can be viewed here.

Horsemen should note that the draw schedule will follow a new four-day box, as opposed to the historical three-day box. Careful attention should be paid to draw dates.

The series will consist of 20 non-pari-mutuel harness racing events open to eligible 2- and 3-year-old New York-bred Standardbreds. The events provide young horses with the opportunity to earn as they learn, while bringing the community together for a series of races.

“The New York Sire Stakes County Fair Series is an exciting competition that we look forward to each year and we are so proud to partner with the individual county fairs to bring these events to their towns,” said M. Kelly Young, executive director, Agriculture & NYS Horse Breeding Development Fund. “We love having the opportunity to introduce harness racing to new audiences at the fairs who will hopefully show an interest in the sport for years to come.”

Select County Fair Series race dates will also include Racing Under Saddle (RUS) exhibitions. RUS is a hybrid between harness and Thoroughbred racing where riders race atop Standardbreds at a trot. RUS NY was formed in 2014 to increase interest in the sport and showcase the versatility of the Standardbred breed.