Schenectady, NY — The New York Sire Stakes and USTA District 8 will be hosting a virtual awards banquet, streamed live on Facebook, on Nov. 8. The program will begin at 7 p.m. and will be approximately one hour in duration.

Kelly Young, executive director of the Agriculture and New York State Horse Breeding Development Fund, will serve as emcee, and Todd Haight, District 8 chairman, will unveil the Horse of the Year.

The program can be accessed through the NYSS Facebook page.

The evening will honor champion horses, trainers, drivers, owners and breeders of the NYSS, Excelsior Series and the New York County Fair Series. USTA District 8 awards for Horse of the Year, Trainer of the Year and Drivers of the Year will be announced live as part of the broadcast. Horses voted for year-end honors by USTA District 8 will also be recognized.

“While we can’t all be together and celebrate the season in the usual manner, we do not want to miss the opportunity to honor and recognize our champion horses and horsepeople who make our program so competitive,” said Young. “We are excited to offer this format and hope our racing community will collectively gather around their screens on this night to celebrate the outstanding performances of this unique year.”

“On behalf of the USTA directors of District 8, I am pleased to partner again with the New York Sire Stakes to offer a joint celebration of Empire State people and horses,” said Haight. “It has been a year of tremendous challenges, but we are resolute in not allowing that to overshadow the outstanding performers of this season. I hope many of the members of USTA District 8 will join us for the live event to cheer on our colleagues and remember how much we have overcome in 2020.”

Giveaways will also be presented to two lucky winners throughout the night during the Facebook live event. Tune in during the program to see how you can win. Awards for horses and people will be mailed to all 2020 winners following the program. Questions about the banquet can be directed to Kelly Young at Kelly.Young@gaming.ny.gov or call the NYSS office at 518.388.0178.