Proposal would end race

A proposal from horsemen represented by the Standardbred Advisory Board and the Illinois Department of Agriculture has been sent to Illinois Gov. Rod. Blagojevich which calls for the end of the World Trotting Derby after this year and the purse money put toward races for Illinois-eligible horses.



Tex Moats, bureau chief of County Fairs and Horse Racing at the Illinois Department of Agriculture, told the Horseman that nothing is concrete and that nothing would be changed without the consent of the governor. However, this year's stakes payments for the World Trotting Derby will not include sustaining payments for this year's 2 year olds in anticipation of the race being canceled for 2007. If, however, the race does continue past this year, there will be payments in 2007 for 3 year olds.



Moats cited several factors in the reason for the proposal, including a perceived lack of support by Grand Circuit horsemen for the races at DuQuoin. Last year's World Trotting Derby, although it included Hambletonian winner Vivid Photo, had a field of only six horses. And there were only six in the field in 2004 when Tom Ridge set the all-age world record of 1:50.3 in the Derby's second heat.



Moats also pointed out the strained economic situation horsemen are facing in Illinois now. "We're losing a lot of horses and broodmares and stallions and I just think that million dollars would help us right now," he said. "I'm looking for a solution to give these (Illinois) horsemen a shot in the arm."



The World Trotting Derby began in 1981 when the Hambletonian was moved from the DuQuoin State Fair to the Meadowlands.

« Back