NY County Fair Series starts July 8

SCHENECTADY, N.Y. – The New York Sire Stakes (NYSS) County Fair Series is set to begin Thursday, July 8th at the Afton Fair in Chenango County. Post time is for 12 p.m.

The fair will entail a 19-race card, 15 of those are New York Sire Stakes harness racing events, three overnight events and one racing under saddle event.

The series consists of 21 non-pari-mutuel harness racing events open to eligible 2- and 3-year-old New York-bred Standardbreds. The events provide young horses with the opportunity to earn as they learn while bringing harness racing to communities across the state.

Additionally, the New York State County Fair Series has three new locations this year in Genesee County, Madison County and Ontario County. Genesee County racing will occur at Batavia Downs, while Madison County racing will be offsite at SUNY Morrisville. The Ontario County Fair is located in Canandaigua, which is hosting harness racing on its track for the first time in memory.

“The New York Sire States County Fair Series is an exciting event that many look forward to each year,” said Kelly Young, executive director, Agriculture & NYS Horse Breeding Development Fund. “We are proud to partner with the individual county fairs to bring these events into the towns of many people looking forward to attending social scenes again after the Covid-19 pandemic shut down the state.”

A reminder that the full schedule of race dates can be viewed on the New York Sire Stakes website<www.nysirestakes.com/backend/News/news_upload/NYCF_Race_Dates_2021_1411.pdf>. The County Fair Finals are scheduled for September 5 at Goshen.

Visit the New York Sire Stakes website at www.nysirestakes.com<www.nysirestakes.com/> for more information.

About the Agriculture & NYS Horse Breeding Development Fund:   The Agriculture & NYS Horse Breeding Development Fund is a public benefit corporation established in 1965 by the Laverne Law (Laws of New York, Chapter 567 of the Laws of 1965). The Fund’s mission is to promote agriculture through the breeding of Standardbred horses and the conduct of equine research within the state. The Fund administers the New York Sire Stakes races, Excelsior/State Fair Series races, and County Fair Races to carry out its legislative mission.