Goshen Historic Track, where it all started and where it is today, is gearing up for it 175th season of exciting harness racing and 2012 will mark the 102nd year of Grand Circuit Racing at 'The Cradle of the Trotter.'
On tap this season will be three matinee programs on Sundays in June followed by five days of Grand Circuit racing from Friday, June 29 through Monday, July 2.
Racing action at Historic Track commences on Sunday, June 3 with the first of three matinee programs; and matinee racing will continue on the consecutive Sundays of June 10 and June 17. Post times for all three matinee race cards will be at 1:00 p.m
This year marks the 51st consecutive season of matinee racing, and, with the help of Ray Schnittker, the matinees will once again feature a scholarship race with fans and high school students getting involved.
Grand Circuit Racing will begin on Friday, June 29 and will feature the Landmark Stakes. On Saturday, June 30, the NYSS for three-year-old pacing colts and fillies will be featured, and the following day (Sunday, July 1) will feature the annual Hall of Fame Trot with Hall of Fame members driving (the Hall of Famers will be available for photos and autographs after the race). Also that day the New York Sire Stakes for three-year-old trotting colts and fillies will get the call to post.
The 2012 Historic Track meeting will culminate with the New York County Fair Stakes on Monday, July 2
Along with the racing programs Historic Track will play host to a few informative programs which pertain to the Standardbred industry.
On May 26, the Harness Horse Breeders of NY State and the NYS Breeding and Development Fund will conduct a farm and training centre tour for the general public.
The tour will begin at 9:00 a.m. at Historic Track and focus on harness horse racing and breeding. From there, the tour moves to the nearby Mark Ford Training Center and then to the Harness Racing Museum for lunch and a tour of that fabulous facility.
The day ends at Blue Chip Farms, one of the largest breeding farms in NY State. For further information on the tour please contact [email protected] or call 518-785-5858.
Then beginning on May 30 and continuing through June 3, the United States Trotting Association will have its annual Standardbred Driving School at Historic Track. Open to participants 16 years and older, a plethora of racing knowledge will be disseminated by racing officials and talented harness drivers. Tuition is $350 with most meals included. However, students are responsible for transportation and lodging.
But that’s not all. From July 2-6 the Harness Horse Youth Foundation, with the support of the Agriculture and New York State Horse Breeding and Development Fund, will host a Horsemanship Camp at Historic Track. The preferred age of applicants for the overnight camp is 14-18. The Camp fee is $200 which includes overnight accommodations, all meals and materials.
For further information concerning this please go to hhyf.org .
(Goshen Historic Track)