Hanover Raceway will kick off its 51st season of live pari-mutuel harness racing this Saturday (June 6), as a 10-race card that features a total of 75 horses will get underway with a first-race post time of 7:15 p.m.

The first 250 patrons that buy a program Saturday will receive a free Hanover Raceway ball cap. It’s all part of a jam-packed summer of promotions that are part of the 150th anniversary celebrations of the track’s operators, the Hanover Bentinck and Brant Agricultural Society.

The track will race on 16 Saturday nights this summer through the September 26 closing card (excluding August 8, when the track is dark to prepare for the annual Hanover Fair, which will be held from August 7 to 9).

The doors will open at 6 p.m. this Saturday. The track will have a 7:15 p.m. first-race post time for all of its live cards, except for the August 1 card, which will feature the final of the Dream of Glory Stakes and the Ontario Sires Stakes (OSS) Grassroots event for three-year-old pacing fillies. That card will start an hour early at 6:15 p.m. (doors will open at 5 p.m.) and will feature a barbeque, live band, carriage rides, a celebrity horse and a fireworks display after the races.

Horsepeople are reminded that a Standardbred Canada field representative will be present Saturday to conduct business. Additionally, Standardbred Canada would like to remind all horsepeople that all memberships and eligibility fees need to be paid and name changes need to be made before a horse ever qualifies. Coggins tests are required as set out in the rules in your racing jurisdiction.

To view a list of some of the member forms, click here.

Membership renewals and eligibility fees are two of many services that can be purchased online. To pay online, register with the SC website and sign into eShop by clicking the eShop button at the top of the homepage.

Other notable promotions that will take place at Hanover this year include:

• the Balanced Image Stakes on August 29, featuring a live band and numerous prize giveaways

• OSS Grassroots event for three-year-old filly trotters on September 5

• a Molson Men’s day on June 20 (Father’s Day eve) in which dads have a chance to win up to $2,000 in prizes, including barbeques, golf clubs and more

• Racing Under Saddle on July 4

• The Country 93 Survivor Contest through the month of July

• A big closing card on September 26 featuring prizes and season-ending awards honouring the track’s top horse and horsepeople for 2015

To view the harness racing entries for Saturday at Hanover, click the following link: Saturday Entries – Hanover Raceway.

(With files from OHR)