Officials from the provincial harness racing industry associations in the Maritimes released the 2024 regional stakes schedule on Wednesday, Feb. 14.
The 2024 schedule starts with the Atlantic Sires Stakes event for three-year-old pacing fillies on May 19 at Truro Raceway. The first three-year-old pacing colt event will be held Sunday, May 26 at Red Shores at Summerside Raceway, with a leg of the P.E.I. Colt Stakes.
The first event for two-year-old pacing fillies, as well as two- and three-year-old trotters will be at Truro Raceway on July 5. The two-year-old pacing colts begin their stakes season on July 18 at Red Shores Summerside as part of the traditional Lobster Carnival Week program.
Atlantic Sires Stakes events will be held at Truro Raceway, Northside Downs, Inverness Raceway, Red Shores at Charlottetown Driving Park and Summerside Raceway throughout the year, leading to the Atlantic Breeders Crown Championships on Sunday, Oct. 13 in Charlottetown.
Home Hardware returns for its fourth season to sponsor the Home Hardware Maritime Breeders Stakes for two- and three-year-old pacers and trotters with all legs to be held at Charlottetown Driving Park on Oct. 24 and 26.
Woodstock Raceway in New Brunswick will also host a series of stakes for two- and three-year-olds, along with invitational and aged mare events in 2024.
Invitational level pacers start their stakes season on June 15 at Charlottetown, where competitors will again earn points towards the Premier's Cup, which will be part of the Atlantic Breeders Crown weekend in October. Aged pacing mares and aged trotters will also have a full schedule of events throughout the season.
An update to the schedule released on Wednesday: the second leg of the New Brunswick Breeders Stakes for two-year-old pacing colts and fillies will move from the originally scheduled date of Saturday, Oct. 5 in Woodstock to Friday, Aug. 9 in Woodstock.
Click here to view the complete stakes schedule.
(With files from PEIHRIA)