The excitement and participation of racing under saddle has really surged leading into the fourth fair of the RUS New York Fair Series.
Three races will be held at Otsego County Fair in Morris Tuesday, Aug. 2 — which will probably be the most under saddle races held in one place in a single day all year. The races will be included in the harness race program, which will begin at noon.
The first RUS event, race No. 3 on the card for the day, has a field of very competitive horses.
- Michelle Crawford and Sing Out will start in position No. 1. The duo has two starts this season but has yet to compete on a fair track. Sing Out, trained by Kyle Spagnolia, had a win at Goshen Historic Track in 2:04.0 and broke in his last RUS appearance at Vernon Downs.
- Andrea Pratt and My Friend Charlie will start in the second position. So far, the duo has earned eight points with one start in the fair series with a fourth-place finish in Afton. They also placed fifth at Ocean Downs and second at Vernon Downs this season.
- Jeanie Marie and Heather Reese will start in post position No. 3. This team took the first race of the fair series by storm by capturing a victory in 2:07.0. Reese has raced in two fair races this season and won them both.
- Funny Photo and Sophie Engerran, who will be staring in the fourth position, are coming off an impressive 1:59.1 victory at Vernon Downs. The duo has two starts this season and have not been beaten.
The second RUS event, carded race No. 9, will feature two horses that have been competing in the series quite regularly and a couple that have not.
- Starting in post position No 1 will be Jocelyn Gale and Glorious Winner. This duo did not finish in their last fair appearance in Hemlock but were very competitive in last year’s fair series. Glorious ended the series with 150 points with two victories (one in Morris in 2:18.2.) and two seconds.
- Jolie’s Prayer and Michelle Crawford will make their first start Tuesday. This horse/ridder combination are coming off a 2:07.0 qualifier in Saratoga. Crawford did not compete in Morris last year but put up victories the two previous years with her mare Vassar Hall.
- Michelle Miller and Good Advice will be starting in post position No. 3. This duo are currently sitting in fourth place in the series’ standings with 38 points. The pair have raced in every fair race of the series finishing second, fifth and fourth respectively.
- On their tail is Maple Grove Emily and Hillary Hartnett, who will start on the outside in post position No. 4. This ridder/horse combination are coming into the race with 37 points. This is Hartnett’s first year competing and she already has a second and third place finish under her belt. She and Maple Grove Emily also competed in Vernon Downs where they finished fourth in a time of 2:03.0.
The final RUS event has been carded as the second to last race of the day - race No. 14.
- Vanessa Karlewicz and Admirable Hanover have the inside position. This pair are coming into the race with 33 points having earned a second and fifth place finish so far in the series. Before the fair series kicked off, Karlewicz rode Admirable Hanover to a 2:15.0 victory in a matinee held at Goshen Historic Track.
- Kash Now will be reappearing on the fair series scene in post position No. 2 after not being raced in a couple of years. Michelle Miller, who will be making her training debut with the now 12-year-old mare, rode Kash Now in the first fair series on a regular basis where she racked up quite a few thirds during the duos first year of racing together. This rider/horse combination have quite a bond and Miller hopes the horse still has what it takes to compete as she is the only horse racing in the series that is also still not competing in harness at all anymore. Kash now took second to Vassar Hall in Morris two years ago.
- Jocelyn Gale and She’s So Into Me will be making their first appearance at the fairs during this mid-season racing event. Gale just recently purchased the 4-year-old mare and the pair have only qualified twice - making a break in their last qualifier and putting up a time of 2:10.2 in their first.
- Canbec Kangourou and Ashley Eldred also got off to a late start this season, only having only one start so far. The duo comes into the race with 12 points after placing third in Hemlock. The 6-year-old mare made a break in her first qualifier in Vernon Downs but came back to put up a time of 2:10.0 in her second qualifier at Saratoga.
This marks the third year of the RUS NY Fair Series. This year, the series includes nine fairs across the state. Horses earn points during the series to determine final entries for the final championship race, which will be raced on September 7 at Batavia Downs.
Horses need at least two starts to be eligible for the final. Three horses, (Jeanie Marie, Iron Will and Funny Photo) are all tied in the series’ standings with 50 points each.
A High Point Rider Award will once again be presented at the final to the rider who has earned the most points, regardless of horse(s) ridden throughout the series. To be eligible for the award riders must participate in at least three races. Currently Heather Reese sits atop the leader board for this award with 100 points.
What is Racing Under Saddle:
Also known as Monte Racing, RUS, is a hybrid between harness racing and thoroughbred racing. The sport consists of a rider atop a Standardbred (generally a trotter) in a saddle instead of pulling a sulky. RUS is an exciting part of international standardbred racing and is conducted daily at most european tracks as part of their regular pari-mutuel wagering programs. The sport has seen a surge in popularity in the U.S. the past few years.
The Fair Series is organized by RUS NY, an organization that helps coordinate and promote under saddle races across the state. The main goal is to promote the unique sport, educate about the versatility of the Standardbred breed as both a racing and a riding horse and to help Standardbreds find great homes after they finish their days on the track. For more information, visit rus-newyork.com.
The schedule for the rest of the fair series:
- Tuesday, Aug. 9 - Oswego County in Sandy Creek (11 a.m. post)
- Wednesday, Aug .10 - Franklin County in Malone (1 p.m. post)
- Monday, Aug. 15 - Wayne County in Palmyra (noon post)
- Tuesday, Aug. 16 - Steuben County in Bath(noon post)
- Tuesday, Aug. 23 - Tompkins County in Trumansburg (noon post)
To keep up on RUS NY happenings follow the group on Facebook, Twitter and Blogspot:
