Four horses
qualify for event at Monticello Raceway
Four horses have earned their way into the RUS New York Fair
Series Final that will be featured at Monticello Raceway Thursday, Sept.
5.
The non-wagering exhibition will be held in conjunction with the
New York Sire Stake’s County Fair Finals. Post time is set for 12:50 p.m. with
no scheduled race number or time for RUS yet.
Horses are required to compete in at least three races throughout
the series to be allowed entry into the championship race. The series included
nine opportunities to race at fairs across the state and one event held at
Goshen Historic Track.
All participants will receive $600 for earning their way into the
final race. Host track Monticello Raceway and the track’s horsemen's association
are generously putting up the funds. The winner will also receive a
championship cooler.
RUS NY was formed in 2014 to increase interest in Standardbred
racing and showcase the versatility of the Standardbred breed. The series, in
its sixth season, received a $7,500 grant for initial purse money provided by
the Agriculture and New York State Horse Breeding Development Fund.
“The New York Sire Stakes program congratulates the riders and
horses who competed under saddle on the county fair circuit this year and wish
them all well in the final. We are pleased to share these accomplishments on
the New York County Fair Finals program at Monticello,” said M. Kelly Young,
Executive Director of the Agriculture and New York State Horse Breeding Development
Fund.
Educating the public and cultivating racing fans is one of the
primary goals of the county fair racing series in New York, according to
Young.
“We are proud to partner with Racing Under Saddle-NY to enhance
county fair racing across the state and this year the riders provided even more
demonstrations and information to racing fans about the versatility of the
breed,” she said.
Horses Eligible For The
Final:
Akhenaton- This French-bred 9-year-old gelding has a history of racing
internationally under saddle. The son of Nice Love is trained by Wesley Miller
and went undefeated going 6-for-6 on the fair circuit. He was ridden to all his
victories but one by part-owner Hillary Hartnett and leads the point standings
by 100 points. His total point earnings for the year was 300. He is a clear
favorite to win the final.
RC’s Ready- Also trained by Wesley Miller, RC has come on strong at the end
of the season having picked up two wins giving him a self esteem boost going
into the final. The 4-year-old RC Royalty gelding tallied up three wins and two
seconds throughout the series earning 200 points. Seasoned rider Vanessa
Karlewicz will be riding this horse for the first time in the championship.
Karlewicz rode three horses during the series, but has yet to take on this
mount.
Railroad Lane- Has proven he can beat RC’S Ready as he had a strong
come-from-behind-victory off a break in stride early on in a race at Hemlock.
However, RC also maintained a wire-to-wire win over him in Palmyra. The
6-year-old gelding comes into the championship race with one victory, three
second-place finishes and a third at Goshen Historic Track earning him a total
of 137 points. The Chip Chip Hooray, trained by Michael Miller, has had three
riders - Kara Duh, Cathy Gearwar and co-owner Michelle Miller.
Choke Hold- Had to be retired from harness racing in January when he
turned 15-years-old and was acquired by owner and trainer Michelle Miller to
continue a racing career under saddle since there is no age limit like in
harness. The Conway Hall gelding raced at six fairs without getting to the
winner’s circle but showed to be competitive when coming home strong against
Akhenaton in Boonville and almost nipping RC’s Ready in Trumansburg after an
early break in the race. While Choke Hold may seem like the underdog in the
race having only earned 107 points do not count him out as he is less likely to
break stride on a bigger track and is proving to get stronger as the season
goes.
The series has always included a top rider award. However, this
year a bigger than ever rider challenge was added to the event to try to
promote larger fields and more participation (as riders do not get paid unless
they own the horse). Thanks to the sponsorships of Oneida Veterinary
Associates, PLLC, Tioga and Vernon Downs, $4,000 was up for grabs for riders
that participated in at least five races leading to the final. Points were
given to riders in the same format used for horses regardless of what horses
were ridden in each race.
Hillary Hartnett won the challenge by a landslide. Hartnett, who
participated in every fair race earning 450 points, beat out Michelle Miller
who placed second with 157 earned points. Six total riders participated in the
series but few met the five-race requirement.
“The extra incentive did not work as well as planned as our
participation was down this year,” RUS New York President Michelle Miller said.
“A lot of our riders have gotten older, have families, jobs and other
priorities so we thought boosting purses and adding funds for riders may help.
Traveling becomes very costly and racing is also held during the week so that
can be conflicting for a lot as well. Unfortunately, our expectations were not
met, but it was not for lack of support or trying. We cannot thank the sponsors
enough for providing this opportunity to our riders.”
According to RUS NY Sponsorship Director Cathy Gearwar, racing
under saddle could not survive without sponsorship support. She said the group
does fundraisers, but that is not enough on its own.
“We made sure to promote our sponsors in every way we could this
year so they received the most bang for their buck,” Gearwar said. “Anyone who
donates $200 or more gets promotional space in all the race programs. We offer
cooler presentations so sponsors can become a part of the winning experience if
they chose. Thanks to Prolifiq Sings we were able to get a trifold sign
to present at all of our events including our horse show fundraisers. We
promote on our website. If sponsors cannot donate funds we also take product to
use for prizes and raffles. There is no donation too small as we appreciate any
support given.”
This year’s sponsors included: NYSS and Agriculture and New York
State Horse Breeding Development Fund, Oneida Veterinary Associates, PLLC,
Vernon Downs, Tioga Downs, Monticello Raceway, Saratoga Casino and Hotel,
Triple Crown, Harness Racing Replays on Facebook, D’Agostino Group in Vernon
N.Y., Pure Country Campground, The Equine Tax Group, Hoof Beats, Big Dee’s Tack
and Vet Supply, Pacesetter Tack and Supply, Blue Seal, T&K Harrington LLC,
Party Tent Rentals of Schoharie New York, Southern Tier Harness Horsemen’s
Association, Beckwith Racing, Knotty By Nature Kitchen Cabinets and
Countertops, Russell Hoagland of Kevin’s Royal Automotive, Enge Training
Stable, Mike Miller Racing, The Stables at MiraBella, Divine Equine Equipment
for Champions, Iron Horse Graphics, Purina, Barb and Rick Bateman, Hoof Beats
and New York Central Mutual Insurance.
WHAT IS RACING UNDER SADDLE:
Also known as Monte Racing, RUS, is a hybrid between harness and
thoroughbred racing. The sport consists of a rider atop a Standardbred
(trotters in the fair series) in a saddle instead of pulling a sulky. RUS
is an exciting part of international standardbred racing and is conducted daily
at most European tracks as part of their regular pari-mutuel wagering
programs.
The Fair Series is organized by RUS NY, an organization that helps
coordinate and promote under saddle races across the state. The main goals are
to promote the unique sport, educate about the versatility of the
Standardbred breed as both a racing and riding horse and to help Standardbreds
find great homes after they finish their days on the track.
To keep up on RUS NY happenings follow the group at:
