Officials with Horse Racing New Brunswick are pleased to announce a stakes series geared toward supporting New Brunswick breeders.
The New Brunswick Breeders Stakes will begin in 2021 and will help support breeders by offering added value for New Brunswick foals. There will also be a 4 per cent breeders rewards program which will return dollars directly to New Brunswick breeders. In 2022, two-year-olds will race for $50,000 added.
“After some discussions with the ASBA (Atlantic Standardbred Breeders Association), it became apparent that for New Brunswick to rejoin the Atlantic Sires program was too expensive for us right now. It would have left our overnight horse population with only 10 or 11 race days,” said HRNB president Brock McEachern. “This program is affordable for HRNB, and offers added incentives for people to buy New Brunswick-foaled yearlings and for our breeders to foal here in New Brunswick.”
To be eligible to the series, mares must reside 183 days in New Brunswick. However, other yearlings from outside jurisdictions can be made eligible so long as they are 100 per cent trained in New Brunswick. “This premise promotes the industry here (in New Brunswick),” elaborated McEachern.
New Brunswick Standardbred Breeders and Owners Association president Sam Hodgin says this series is a big step in the right direction for New Brunswick:
“This series gives us stake races in Woodstock in 2022 going forward, which will be great to see.”
“Stay tuned,” says McEachern. “We have more good news to come.”
The new series can now be found in the Standardbred Canada Stakes Guide.
(HRNB)