The 2021 Erie County Fair Sire Stakes races will take place at the historic Buffalo Raceway on Friday (July 9), with first post time at 12:30 p.m.
The races can be watched from inside the clubhouse or in the grandstand. The New York Sire Stakes promote the breeding, buying, and racing of Standardbred horses in New York State, and are administered by the Agriculture and New York State Horse Breeding Development Fund. A total of eight races are expected by fair management, but will be dependent upon the draw on July 5.
The Erie County Fair races are part of a series of non-pari-mutuel harness races hosted at county fairs across New York State. The races are open to eligible two- and three-year-old New York Standardbreds and are separated into eight divisions based on age and gait. The races precede the 181st Erie County Fair, which opens on Wednesday, Aug. 11.
Harness racing at the Erie County Fair is a tradition that dates back to the 1850s, when the Fair was held at various racetracks across the County. Racing at Buffalo Raceway predates the Erie County Fair’s move to its current location at the Hamburg Fairgrounds, as the site was originally home to the Hamburg Driving Grounds.
(Erie, N.Y., County Fair)