In order to more clearly identify its top-flight of stakes races, the New Jersey Sire Stakes has named the Pari-Mutuel program at The Meadowlands and Freehold Raceway as the Premier Division.

“The new name will clearly differentiate between the top-level Pari-Mutuel Division and the Green Acres Division, both of which have been raced at pari-mutuel tracks,” explained Chris Castens, executive director of the Sire Stakes.

“Ever since the Sire Stakes Fair Division was replaced by the Green Acres Division, there has been some confusion,” he added, noting that the Fair Division previously consisted of non-wagering races at New Jersey training track farms and county fair sites.

In another change, the Sire Stakes has revised its 2009 schedule so that there will be two preliminary legs in all eight categories at both The Meadowlands and Freehold. In the past, there were three preliminary legs at Freehold for all categories and only for three-year-olds at The Meadowlands.

“We expect that in 2009 purses will be higher for all the preliminary legs, and the Sire Stakes finals will each be $200,000 at The Meadowlands and $100,000 at Freehold,” Castens said, noting that the top New Jersey-sired two-year-olds and three-year-olds will be competing for at least $2.4 million in the 2009 Sire Stakes finals alone.

(NJSS)