by CJ Millar, Horsefly Group

Waterloo, NY — The inaugural RUS New York 2014 Fair Series is now well underway with three of the six legs completed.

The series kicked off at Goshen Historic Track on July 3, followed by the second leg July 10 at the Afton Fair. The Seneca County Fair in Waterloo held the third leg on July 14. So far, all the races have been met with enthusiasm from the spectators and fellow horsemen, with many thanks to the support of the New York Sire Stakes and all of the fairs’ race committees and staff members.

The race in Afton had four finishers and went in a time of 2:11.4, won by Michelle Crawford on Vassar Hall. Second went to John Michael with rider Tara Hynes aboard, followed by Kash Now ridden by Michelle Miller and Striking Mystery with Jennifer Lowrey.

The race was also the Frank Tingley Memorial, with a cooler donated to the winner from his family who was in attendance in the winner’s circle to present the prize, alongside CJ Millar of RUS New York, who had prizes from series sponsors Horse Quencher and Draper Therapies. Mr. Tingley was a huge supporter of RUS, with his wife Lia a regular for RUS exhibitions at the Afton Fair since 2001.

The Seneca County Fair race meet was Monday (July 14) in Waterloo, N.Y. The race had two starters and went in a time of 2:12 with winner Michelle Miller on Kash Now. This officially puts both Michelle and the horse in the lead for horse and rider points, as we gear up for the second half of the series races.

Thanks to the addition of some new sponsors, a few purses will be increasing and RUS New York has announced the High Point Rider Award for the rider earning the most points during the season, regardless of the horse or horses they race. Both the High Point Rider Award and the Series Champion Horse will receive gifts from Hawthorne Products in addition to the other national series sponsors.

The next race will be held at Otsego County Fair, Morris, N.Y., on Tuesday (July 29). Points earned by finishers count towards their qualification for the final race, as well as for the High Point Rider Award, to be held at Tompkins County Fair in Trumansburg, N.Y., on August 19.

For full race conditions and current standings, please visit the RUS New York website.