The 2019 Erie County Fair Sire Stakes Races will take place at the historic Hamburg oval on Wednesday, July 10 and will kick off at 1:00 p.m.

The event is free and open to the public. The New York Sire Stakes promote the breeding, buying, and racing of Standardbred horses in New York State, and are administered by the Agriculture and New York State Horse Breeding Development Fund.

The Erie County Fair Race is part of a series of non-pari-mutuel harness races hosted at county fairs across New York State. The races are open to eligible two- and three-year-old New York-sired Standardbreds and are separated into nine divisions based on age and gait. The start of the race is considered the first official event of the 180th Erie County Fair that will open its gates on Wednesday, August 7.

Harness racing at the Erie County Fair is a tradition that dates back to the 1850s when the fair was held at various racetracks across the county. Racing at the Hamburg oval pre-dates the Erie County Fair’s move to its current location at the Hamburg Fairgrounds, as the site was originally home to the Hamburg Driving Grounds.

(Erie County Fair)