by John Pawlak, marketing director, USTA

Columbus, OH — One of the sport’s most important and sought-after annual publications, the USTA Stakes Guide, will soon be in the mail, but one of its most important features is now available — free and online — even before the Guide is delivered.

The complete conditions of the sport’s richest and most important races have been posted online, a free preview of a feature that will become permanent with next year’s edition, which will be available online — for a charge.

The Stakes Guide contains a comprehensive schedule of this sport’s top added-money races in the United States and Canada, including the complete and detailed stakes conditions, a schedule of payments, a month-by-month calendar, and addresses and phone numbers for stakes sponsors.

The Guide, the annual calendar, and the Yearling Nomination booklet will be printed and shipped this year, just as they have in the past, but substantial parts of next year’s edition will be available only online. A survey of Stakes Guide subscribers, taken late last year, revealed that more and more are looking to the Internet for information — and thus the decision was made to put the 2008 stakes conditions (which will also appear in the book this year) on the Internet.

The conditions are available by visiting www.ustrotting.com, and then clicking on “Stakes Conditions,” which may be found in the left hand column of links, under the “Trackside” heading. Those who wish to order a printed copy of the 2008 Stakes Guide may call the USTA at (877) 800-USTA, or visit the USTA’s Online Store, available by clicking on the “USTA Store” link at the top of the USTA home page, at www.ustrotting.com.