from Harness Publicists across North America

Columbus, OH — The April stakes payment deadline is Wednesday, April 15, and many stakes sponsors have sent out reminder notices. Listed below are the notices that have been sent to the USTA Newsroom.

If you need a sustaining form, you can go to www.racing.ohio.gov and click on ‘Ohio Standardbred Development Fund.’

If you wait until April 15 to mail your payment, please make sure you watch the post office postmark your envelope. Because of the high volume of IRS tax returns on April 15, sometimes the regular mail does not get attended to until the next day, and unfortunately, no envelope postmarked after April 15 can be accepted.

— Doug Thomas

Scioto payments due April 15

Columbus, OH — Payments on a number of series for the 2009 season at Scioto Downs are due on April 15.

For pacers, there are no nominating payments to the Capital City Pace for both males and females. Each event will have four $7,500 legs and a $15,000 (est.) final. The entry fee is $300.

A payment of $250 is the nomination fee for the April Star Pace for pacing females while payments of $200 are due for the Stienam Pace for mares and the Billy Dart series for stallions and geldings.

The nominating fee for the Falcon Almahurst, Floating Dream, and the Steamin Demon Pace is $150 for each event.

There will be many racing opportunities for trotters at Scioto this season with $300 entry payments for both males and females into the separate Heart Of Ohio trotting events. These will have four legs at $7,500 each and a $15,000 (est.) final. No nomination fee is required.

The Dream Of Glory for 3-year-olds and up on the trotting gait requires a $250 nominating fee.

The Killbuck Mary for females and the B F Coaltown for males each require a $150 nominating payment.

Both the Capital City events for pacers and the Heart Of Ohio trotting races were restricted to Ohio-sired horses in the past, but are now open to the world. Again, no nomination payments are needed but each event will have a $300 entry fee.

Scioto Downs begins its 51st season on May 8 and continues through September 19. Its Labor Day program features “The Best of the Rest” for Ohio Sires Stakes competitors that did not qualify for the Super Night finals. Each of the eight “Best of the Rest” events will be raced for a purse of $7,500.

For more information on the Scioto Downs series races for 2009, see www.sciotodowns.com or call Jason Roth at (614) 491-2515.

— Dean A. Hoffman

Kindergarten Classic payments due April 15

Nichols, NY — Nomination to the Kindergarten Classic series at Vernon/Tioga requires a single payment of $750 due by April 15. An entry fee of $250 is due for each leg in which the nominee is entered.

For more information on the Kindergarten Classic series click here, contact the Tioga race office at (607) 699-7688 or visit our Web sites at www.tiogadowns.com or www.vernondowns.com.

Nominations are also due on April 15 for several other series to be raced at Tioga and/or Vernon Downs during the 2009 racing season.

Late Closers: Four events for 3-year-olds and two events for 4- and 5-years-olds to be raced at Tioga Downs in May and June. A fee of $300 is required for the sophomores and a fee of $400 will get your older horse raced.

Early Closers: The second round of nomination fees are due for Tioga and Vernon Downs’ older horse races. A payment of $1,500 will keep your horse eligible to the Credit Winner (Open Trot), Artiscape (Open Mare Pace), Conway Hall (Open Mare Trot), and The Miss Versatility (Open Mare Trot).

— Dustin Ross

WEG stakes payments reminder

Toronto, ON — Woodbine Entertainment Group would like to remind all owners, horsemen and women, that Wednesday, April 15, 2009 is the deadline for sustaining payments that are due for the circuit’s major stake events.

Envelopes must be clearly postmarked no later than the said due date or payment will not be accepted. Registered mail is recommended.

For more detailed information, please visit the Standardbred page by clicking on this link.

— Greg Blanchard

Smith payment due April 15

Manalapan, NJ — A $300 sustaining payment for 3-year-old trotters nominated to the Charles I. Smith Trotting Classic is due on April 15, 2009.

The Charles Smith is scheduled for September 11 with a final worth an estimated $100,000. Elims are on September 4. The Helen Smith for fillies, worth an estimated $85,000, is on August 21 with elims on August 14. Both stakes take place at Freehold Raceway.

The Standardbred Breeders & Owners Association of New Jersey sponsors the Charles Smith and the Helen Smith. Sustaining fees should be sent to the SBOANJ office at 64 Business Route 33, Manalapan, NJ 07726.

— Carol Hodes

Payments due April 15 for all 2009 NJSS races

Trenton, NJ — April 15 is the last chance for New Jersey-sired 2- and 3-year-old pacers and trotters to be kept eligible to the lucrative 2009 New Jersey Sire Stakes Premier and Green Acres pari-mutuel racing programs.

The NJSS Premier Division begins in May at The Meadowlands and in August at Freehold Raceway. The Green Acres Division begins in August at Freehold.

Due on April 15 are: $150 Green Acres Division payments for 2-and 3-year-olds, $550 Premier Division payments for 2-year-olds and $650 Premier Division payments for 3-year-olds. This payment must be made in order to keep horses eligible for all 2009 NJSS races.

NJSS Executive Secretary Chris Castens urges horse owners to use certified mail. No billing notices are sent and no late payments will be accepted, he added.

Checks should be made payable in U. S. funds to NJSS, P.O. Box 330, Trenton, NJ 08625.

— Leon Zimmerman