The entry deadline for the 75th Anniversary Celebration closed on August 6, 2013.  Preliminary class entries were down 20% from 2,671 entries in 2012 to 2,137 this year.  The total number of entries will grow with the championship entries on the last weekend.  Preliminary classes begin August 21st and continue through August 28th.

The decline in entries of 534 consisted of 250 less flat shod entries, from 908 in 2012 to 658 in 2013, a decline of 27%.  Padded entries were down 284 from 1763 in 2012 to 1479 this year, a decline of 16%.

The total number of horses that make up those entries also declined.  In 2012 there were 1,469 horses while this year that number slipped to 1,144 horses, a decline of 22%.  Continued economic pressure along with industry turmoil and unrest have resulted in a decline of 1,280 preliminary entries since 2009, a decline of 37.5%.