Toronto, March 12, 2002-For the third time in as many years, the Ontario Horse Racing Industry Association (OHRIA) has announced major funding increases for the Ontario Sires Stakes program.

A total of $2.5 million will be added to the Ontario Sires Stakes (OSS) coffers in 2002. Since the beginning of the 2000 season, OSS purses have been increased by $7 million.

Purses for each of the 40 Gold Finals in 2002 will be raised to $130,000 from $100,000, representing an increase of $1.2 million for the elite performers of the OSS program.

Points earned during the course of the 2002 Gold Series allows the leaders, up to a maximum of 10 horses in each of the eight OSS categories, to race in the Super Finals at Mohawk Racetrack on Saturday, November 16. Each Super Final that night will feature a $300,000 purse–up from $250,000 in 2001– an overall increase of $400,000.

OHRIA also announced a one year experiment for the 16 Gold Series events held at the Woodbine Entertainment Group tracks (Woodbine and Mohawk) in 2002. Horses which compete in the Gold eliminations at those tracks but are not successful in making the Final will earn their way into a $30,000 OSS overnight event. The purse will be shared between the track and the OSS.

The popular OSS Grassroots Championships are another highlight of the 2002 season. This year’s Grassroots Semifinal purses will be hiked to $60,000 from $40,000 for each category, with the top eight horses racing in a $100,000 Grassroots Championship Final. Windsor Raceway will host the Grassroots Championships for sophomores on Sunday, November 3 and Georgian Downs (near Barrie) will feature the two-year-olds Championships on Saturday, November 9. The Semifinals will be conducted at those tracks on October 27 and November 2 respectively.

The Grassroots points system which determines the starters in the Semifinals has also been amended for 2002, utilizing the same 50-25-12-8-5 method of the Gold Series. Those horses which compete in both the Gold and Grassroots Series and accumulate a sufficient number of points may race in the Grassroots Semifinal or Gold Super Final, but not both.

Purses for Gold elimination and Grassroots events will be raised by an average of 7 percent in 2002.

“These increases are incredible news for every participant in the horse racing industry in Ontario,” OHRIA Executive Director Jane Holmes said. “The Ontario Sires Stakes program is the envy of the racing world and it continues to provide astonishing results. For the ninth consecutive year in 2001 the OSS produced more $100,000 single season winners than any other sires stakes jurisdiction anywhere. And, for the first time in history both the leading money-winning trotting and pacing sires in North America in 2001 were from Ontario.

“Those are truly great accomplishments and as the program grows we’ll see many more records set in the years to come.”

The Ontario Sires Stakes, which began in 1974, is for two and three-year-old trotters and pacers sired by a stallion standing in the province of Ontario. Horses competing in the OSS race in separate colt and filly divisions at the province’s 16 harness racing tracks. The 2002 season kicks off at London’s Western Fair Raceway on Saturday, May 11.

For more information contact: Jane Holmes, Executive Director Ontario Horse Racing Industry Association (OHRIA) (905) 812-0168