Harness: When Sire Stakes conflicts get out of control

There really isn't much to get excited about during the winter months for the casual fan of harness racing. Sure, overnight racing is great for those who enjoy wagering, but people who just want to view the stars of the sport shine on the track and watch in awe of the performances have to wait until at least the spring months for that opportunity.

It is that downtime which lends itself to reviewing the stakes schedule for the year to come. There are always a number of stakes races I'd like to see moved on the calendar, but with such a tight timeframe of May to November, it isn't always possible to achieve this task. While officials do their best to avoid major conflicts in each division, there was one glaring conflict for 2023 that seemed worth investigation.

The 3-year-old divisions of the New York Sire Stakes, specifically as it relates to male pacers, is laid out in a manner that will provide the connections of each horse with serious decisions to make. Literally every race on the calendar goes head-to-head with a Grand Circuit race. Check it out:

New York Sire Stakes 3-year-old C&G Pace Schedule

TRACK (date) – GRAND CIRCUIT CONFLICT (date)

Buffalo (June 7) – Somebeachsomewhere/NA Cup elims (June 3/June 10)

Vernon (June 16) – NA Cup final (June 17)

Saratoga (June 24) – MGM Grand Messenger elims (June 23)

Yonkers (July 13) – Meadowlands Pace final (July 15)

Monticello (July 24) – Adios elims (July 22)

Batavia (August 8) – Cane Pace (August 5)

Tioga (August 20) – Max Hempt (August 19)

The bottom line is that if you have an elite 3-year-old eligible in New York there is a good chance you won't be able to compete in the championship finals in September at Yonkers Raceway because it takes three starts in the series to become qualified. If you hit a few Grand Circuit races there simply aren't enough opportunities remaining to get the mandatory NYSS starts.

"That wasn't our intent. We are not trying to squeeze anyone out," said Ralph Scunziano, Executive Director of Agriculture and the New York State Horse Breeding Development Fund, when asked about the conflict. "While the dates change slightly, we basically stick to a similar schedule each year."

Scunziano, who was recently named to the position in December 2022 but has worked with the Development Fund for the last 18 months, was very receptive to the communication about the clash in dates. "We are definitely open to feedback and will examine any unintended consequences to see what can be done in the future.

"I'm doing my best to put together the best program for breeders and horsemen."

It is worth noting that the Pennsylvania Sire Stakes for the 3-year-old male pacers does a great job in avoiding any overlap with the Grand Circuit by starting earlier in the year. The series kicks off on May 6 at The Meadows before moving to Pocono on May 21, Harrah's Philadelphia on May 28 and concluding the preliminaries on August 25 at The Meadows. Of course with just four legs it is easier to schedule the races around the Grand Circuit, but certainly an earlier start on the calendar in New York might make some sense.

To be fair, other regions do offer conflicting dates with Grand Circuit races in the 3-year-old colt pacing realm. Indiana's second leg is on June 16 at Harrah's Hoosier Park, the third leg on July 4, then July 21, July 28, August 18 and August 25. With two of the legs avoiding major overlaps, at least there is opportunity to compete in half the legs while still "taking a shot" against Open types outside of the state.

The New York Sire Stakes schedule has already seen some changes for 2023 as the Excelsior B Series was removed from the equation, leaving three levels for New York breds: New York Sire Stakes, Excelsior and County Fair races.

"Based on the fields it was drawing, I think it was inevitable," said Scunziano about the complete removal of the Excelsior B division of the Sire Stakes. "We increased the Excelsior A and County Fair purses as a fair compromise."

The Excelsior races will go for $20,000 in 2023, up from $15,000. The total purses available per card for the county fair races will increase from $24,000 to $30,000 in 2023.

At the upper spectrum, the New York Sire Stakes elite will race for $25,000 more in the finals this year, with the purses boosted to $225,000 for each of the eight championship races on September 9. The larger purses fall in line with the pre-pandemic levels for the finals. In 2021 and 2022 the finals went for $200,000 each.

Conflicts aside with the Grand Circuit, the New York Sire Stakes remains a great value with just $700 in payments for a 3-year-old providing the opportunity to race for more than a half-million in purse money.

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Circle these dates:

For those that don't want to spend their time searching through the stakes calendar for major dates, below I've highlighted some you may want to add to your calendar for 2023. These are just a few important Grand Circuit dates that include multiple $200K-plus races on the same card.

North America Cup Night at Woodbine Mohawk Park (June 17)

MGM Messenger Pace & Yonkers Trot at Yonkers Raceway (June 30)

Graduate finals at the Meadowlands (July 8)

Meadowlands Pace Night at the Meadowlands (July 15)

Hambletonian Day at the Meadowlands (August 5)

Sun Stakes at Pocono Downs at Mohegan Pennsylvania (August 19)

Wellwood Memorial Night at Woodbine Mohawk Park (August 26)

Maple Leaf Trot Night at Woodbine Mohawk Park (September 2)

Ewart Memorial Night at Scioto Downs (September 9)

Peter Haughton Memorial Night at Harrah's Hoosier Park (September 15)

Little Brown Jug Day at Delaware County Fair (September 21)

Caesars Trotting Classic Night at Harrah's Hoosier Park (September 22)

Mohawk Million Night at Woodbine Mohawk Park (September 23)

MGM Yonkers International Trot at Yonkers Raceway (September 23)

Dayton Derby Night at Dayton Raceway (September 30)

Kentucky Futurity Day at The Red Mile (October 8)

Breeders Crown at Harrah's Hoosier Park (October 27/28)

Monument Circle Night at Harrah's Hoosier Park (November 3)

Kindergarten finals Night at the Meadowlands (November 4)

Fall Final Four Night at the Meadowlands (November 25)

Other big dates to consider (at tracks not already mentioned) with at least one $200K-plus race on the card include July 23 (Spirit of Massachusetts at Plainridge Park), July 29 (Adios Pace at The Meadows), and August 12 (Carl Milstein Memorial at Northfield Park). Many apologies if we missed one.