ESPN Horse Racing

Mike Rounds, the new governor of South Dakota, has increased funding for racing in the state by $200,000, bringing the total amount of funding to $700,000. The money comes from the South Dakota Racing Fund, which is generated by simulcasts on horse and greyhound races. Quarter Horse stakes purses at Ft. Pierre Racetrack and the Brown County Fair at Aberdeen have been raised to ensure that they will be recognized as official stakes by AQHA. The South Dakota-Bred Futurity (R) and Derby (R) will each be worth $12,500-added, and the open futurities and derbies will all offer purses of $10,000-added. It is estimated that the purses of South Dakota's futurities at both Ft. Pierre and the Brown County Fair could reach $20,000, which would be stakes records. "Horses enrolled have come from surrounding states and from as far as Texas," said Tom Maher, an owner and breeder based in Pierre. "Quarter Horse racing has existed in South Dakota for approximately 60 years, and the future looks bright." The Ft. Pierre meet opens the state's racing season with a 7-day meet beginning April 12. Trials for all of the track's stakes are scheduled for April 19. The 7-day Brown County Fair meet runs weekends from May 10-26. For more information about South Dakota's racing programs, contact Ft. Pierre manager Pat Sutley at (605) 223-2178, or Brown County Fair manager Mike Schmidt at (605) 229-0013.