The Woodbine Entertainment Group has announced several new changes to its winter and spring stakes series beginning with events scheduled to close December 1

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All events with deadlines of December 1 this year, along with January 17 and February 15, 2012, will now offer a reduced nomination fee of only $100.

Scott McKelvie, WEG’s director of Standardbred Racing and Racing Secretary, said the lower nomination fee was done with the goal to increase participation.

“This stakes nomination fee is the lowest in North America when you consider the purse money being offered” said McKelvie. “We want to encourage more entries from the horsemen and this certainly takes the owners' costs into consideration.”

All the events will feature two legs and a final, with the second leg of the series racing for an increased purse. As an added benefit, the nomination deadlines have been moved closer to the racing date.

“We wanted to make the deadline as close to the race as we could,” McKelvie said. “This will enable trainers and owners to have a better indication if their horses are ready for each event.”

One of the winter features, the Glorys Comet Trotting Series will move to a new date on the calendar in March in order to be paired with the Spring Pacing Championship. In April WEG will introduce the Swing Into Spring Trotting Series for older horses with a $50,000 guaranteed final that follows the successful Beat The Heat Pacing Series in 2011.

Envelopes must be clearly post-marked no later than the said due date.

To view the winter and spring series nominations form, click here.