Melissa Keith from Nova Scotia is pleased to announce that a breeders meeting on Standardbred pedigrees will take place February 1 at the Dalhousie Agricultural Centre in Bible Hill near Truro.

The seminar-style meeting will get underway at 1 p.m.

Keith is an aspiring Standardbred owner with a lifelong interest in the pedigrees behind great horses. She is the secretary of the US Harness Writers Canadian chapter and a regular contributor to Trot, HoofBeats and Atlantic Post Calls.

"At this time of year, I thought other Nova Scotians who would want to attend the Island-based educational sessions on pedigrees might find travel a bit tricky. So I was happy to discover that the 'Pedigree Guru' was willing to bring his presentation here, to the Dal Agricultural Campus," added Keith.

The Nova Scotia event will be the fourth in a series presented by the PEI Colt Stakes

This Friday will see the second seminar in the now-four-event series take place in Summerside at Credit Union Place with a post time of 7 p.m. The final Island-based seminar will be January 30 at Red Shores in Charlottetown the following Friday, also at 7 p.m.

The seminars are open to all breeders of Atlantic-bred Standardbreds and to any members of the public that are interested in the horse breeding industry. All attendees will receive a complimentary three-month subscription to the PM Online pedigree resource website to assist with their breeding decisions for the coming season.

The PEI Colt Stakes, for Maritime-bred or foaled horses, is the longest running stakes program in Canada, and the organization has presented a stakes racing program and related breeder development programs for the past 80 years.

Last year, the Island Breeders Series saw 53 races contested for total purses over $312,000. In 1934 there were three races for combined purses less than $1,000. Norman Hall, the current manager, is in his 33rd year in that position.

"I have seen a lot of breeders come and go over my years with the colt stakes, but one thing remains constant and that is the need to provide educational opportunities especially for younger breeders just getting into the industry," noted Hall.

"I encourage those young men and women to take advantage of every opportunity to improve their chances for success in what can be a very rewarding but demanding challenge to breed the best horses possible."

(PEI Colt Stakes)