The 2018 Erie County Fair Sire Stakes County Fair Races will be dedicated to the memory of longtime Erie County Agricultural Society Board Member Frank A. Newton who passed away just day before the opening of last year’s Erie County Fair. The race will take place at the historic “Hamburg Oval” on Friday, July 20th at 1pm and is free and open to the public. The New York Sire Stakes promote the breeding, buying, and racing of Standard bred horses in New York State, and are administered by the Agriculture and New York State Horse Breeding Development Fund.
The Erie County Fair Race is part of a series of non-pari-mutuel betting harness races hosted at county fairs across New York State. The races are open to eligible two and three-year-old New York Standard breds and are separated into eight divisions based on age and gait. The start of the race is the first official event of the 179th Erie County Fair that opens its gates on Wednesday, August 8th.
Harness racing at the Erie County Fair is a tradition that dates back to the 1850s when the Fair was held at various racetracks across the County. Racing at the “Hamburg Oval” predates the Erie County Fair’s move to its current location at the Hamburg Fairgrounds as the site was originally home to the Hamburg Driving Grounds.
Mr. Frank E. Newton of Orchard Park passed away on August 2nd, 2017. Newton served the Erie County Agricultural Society for over 55 years. Following in the footsteps of his father J. C. Newton, Frank joined the Erie County Agricultural Society in 1962. He was elected to the Board of Directors in 1965 and served as Society President during the 1974-1975 season. He took Director Emeritus status in 2012 and continued to serve the Society. Newton took great pride in his affiliation with the Fair and attended the 2017 pre-Fair meeting just days before his death. Newton was 93 at the time of his death.
