Officials with the Illinois Harness Horsemen’s Association have issued an announcement reminding all Illinois racing participants that funding for the 2015 Illinois-bred stakes program should be very similar to 2014.

“The earnings potential for two-year-olds in 2015 should be substantial,” said IHHA President Dave McCaffrey. “We believe that the Illinois breeding program is the lifeblood of the harness racing industry and we will do everything we can to ensure that our breeding program is able to continue.”

While horsemen in Illinois have experienced difficulty over the years because of a lack of new revenue sources, the IHHA is still hopeful that legislation approving slots at racetracks will become law in the near future. In the meantime, Standardbred breeders in Illinois continue to breed young horses and hold yearling sales throughout the summer.

“Illinois has a long history of breeding champion racehorses,” said Hall of Fame Standardbred breeder ‘Doc’ Walker. “People may be tentative about certain aspects of our future, but horsemen can be confident that there will be yearlings to buy this summer and plenty of stakes races to enter them in during 2015.”

The IHHA release states that horsepeople should expect the usual stakes races in 2015, including the Super Night races and the ‘Cardinal’ and the ‘Violet’ stakes events; and that the stakes races at both the Springfield and DuQuoin State Fairs will be run as well as the County Fairs throughout the state.

According to the IHHA, funding for Illinois-bred stakes races that comes from the Illinois Department of Agriculture is slated to remain at current levels. Foal crops have been similar the last few years, so nominating payments should also be comparable. McCaffrey went on to say that “There will be ample opportunity for horsemen to race young Illinois-bred horses in 2015.”

“The breeding programs are important to the viability of the horse racing industry here and have a positive impact on the Illinois economy,” said Bob Flider, the director of Illinois’ Department of Agriculture. “I’m very pleased that my department will be able to continue funding the stakes races at existing levels in its current budget.”

The release states that the current contract between the IHHA and the racetracks is for racing four nights a week through June 30, 2015. The release goes on to say that racing after that is still to be determined, but that both groups anticipate a schedule of somewhere between two and four days per week beginning July 1, 2015.

“There will be harness racing in Illinois in 2015 and there will be an Illinois-bred stakes program,” Duke Johnston was quoted as saying.

(With files from the IHHA)