In January, the U.S. Trotting Association announced the creation of a new series of Roadster events. Details of that series, including the nomination form, are now available:

Info Sheet & Nomination Form

Frequently Asked Questions

The series will use a points system, fashioned after how many sire stakes points are tallied. The more a nominated horse shows and places, the more points they earn to qualify for the Championship Class at The Smoky Mountain Equine Fest the first week in October. Some key details about the series are:

Eligibility: Horses must have had electronic eligibilities ordered before Jan. 1, 2024 or must have been sold at a commercial yearling sale.

Nomination: Horses must be nominated by April 1 for $50 or may be supplemented by June 1 for $100.

Membership/Ownership: Owners of the nominated horse must be members of the USTA and the American Road Horse & Pony Association. USTA records must reflect current owner at time of nomination. Nominated horses must have an ARHPA Horse ID within 10 days of the nomination deadline.

Rules: All classes that make up the series will be judged in accordance with USEF Chapter RD Roadster Division rules.

Points for Championship: The region that a horse earns points in is based on the state the horse’s trainer is located. Horses can show at any show in the series, in any region, but earned points will be allocated to the trainer’s region. The top three horses from each region’s point standings will be invited to show in the Championship Class.

Series Schedule: Below is the series schedule, broken down chronologically by region:

Southeast

Asheville Saddlebred Classic — May 8-11 — Asheville, N.C.

Blowing Rock — June 6-9 — Blowing Rock, N.C.

NC State Championships — Sept. 11-14 — Raleigh, N.C.

ASHAV — Sept. 25-28 — Lexington, Va.

Northeast

Greater Boston Charity — May 15-18 — Saugerties, N.Y.

Syracuse International — June 26-29 — Syracuse, N.Y.

National Standardbred Show — Sept. 20-22 — Allentown, N.J.

Midwest

ARHPA Road Horse & Pony Show — May 17-18 — Harrodsburg, Ky.

Bourbon County — June 15 — Paris, Ky.

Brown County Charity — June 6-8 — Georgetown, Ohio

Indy Charity — June 25-28 — Indianapolis, Ind.

All American — Sept. 10-14 — Indianapolis, Ind.

The series is sponsored by, and nominations due to, the USTA. More information about Standardbred Roadster classes sponsored by the USTA is available here.

For more information about Roadsters, rules and regulations, visit the American Road Horse & Pony Association website.

Since 1996, the Standardbred Equine Program has worked with owners of off-the-track Standardbreds to educate the general public about the many disciplines Standardbreds excel at once they are retired from racing. For more information about the SEP at the USTA, visit LifeAfterRacing.ustrotting.com.