from the Ohio Harness Horsemen’s Association

Columbus, OH — The Ohio Harness Horsemen’s Association, in conjunction with the Ohio State Racing Commission, Chairman Robert Schmitz and Mountaineer Gaming (Scioto Downs), have announced a distribution of $1,001,800 to be shared for Ohio Fairs Fund races, fair operations and racing related expenses by all 94 Ohio agricultural fairs.

Each of the 65 Ohio fairs that conduct harness racing will receive a distribution of $11,600 to be divided among the eight Ohio Fairs Fund races ($1,450 each), which, when coupled with the $1,354 per race that was distributed in February from the Ohio Fairs Fund by the Ohio Department of Agriculture, will increase the base purse for each Ohio Fairs Fund race to $2,804.

“We’ve long recognized that the county fairs are the foundation of harness racing in Ohio and we’re pleased that we can allocate these funds to improve racing at the fairs,” said Steve McCoy, OHHA president. “Fair racing has always been a grand tradition in Ohio and we want to make it even better.”

The 65 fairs that conduct harness racing will each receive $3,500 for their operations and racing related expenses, while the 29 fairs that do not conduct harness racing will each receive $700 for their operations. These additional distributions will be made by the Ohio State Racing Commission.