The Grand Circuit's weekly overview highlights its upcoming races at Vernon Downs, Meadowlands Racetrack, Scioto Downs and Goshen Historic Track.

This Week: Zweig Memorial open and filly, Vernon Downs, Vernon, New York; Graduate Series finals, Meadowlands Pace eliminations and Kindergarten Series, The Meadowlands, East Rutherford, New Jersey; Nadia Lobell and Moni Maker, Eldorado Scioto Downs, Grove City, Ohio; and Landmark Stakes, Goshen Historic Track, Goshen, New York.

Schedule Of Events: The Grand Circuit weekend kicks off on Thursday, July 4 as Vernon Downs hosts the $300,000 USD Zweig Memorial for three-year-old open trotters and the $128,000 USD Zweig Filly for three-year-old filly trotters. Consolation races will also be held with a $50,000 USD contest for three-year-old open trotters and $23,205 USD event for three-year-old filly trotters.

Action continues on Friday, July 5 at The Meadowlands with the second leg of the Kindergarten Series for two-year-olds. Seven Kindergarten races will be contested, three for colt pacers, a pair for filly trotters and one each for filly pacers and colt trotters. Grand Circuit racing continues on Saturday, July 6 with the $230,000 USD Graduate Series final for four-year-old open pacers, the $230,000 USD Graduate Series final for four-year-old open trotters and a pair of $50,000 USD Meadowlands Pace eliminations for three-year-old open pacers.

Also on Saturday, Scioto Downs will host the $100,000 USD Nadia Lobell for three-year-old filly pacers and the $100,000 USD Moni Maker for three-year-old filly trotters.

Then on Saturday and Sunday, July 7, Goshen Historic Track will host Landmark Stakes races for two and three-year-olds of both sexes and gaits. The three-year-olds will race on Saturday and the two-year-olds on Sunday.

Entries for the races can be found on the United States Trotting Association website.

Last Time: Sir Pinocchio became a two-time winner on harness racing's Grand Circuit this year, as the Dexter Cup champion was a front-stepping 1:54.4 winner in the $410,959 MGM Yonkers Trot at MGM Yonkers Raceway on Friday, June 28, giving him the first leg of the Trotting Triple Crown. To read the complete recap, click here.

For a list of 2024 race winners on the Grand Circuit, click here.

Grand Circuit Standings: In 2024, the Grand Circuit leaders in three categories (driver, trainer and owner) will once again be tracked on a points system (20-10-5 for the top three finishers in divisions/finals and 10-5-2 for the top three finishers in eliminations/legs). Winbak Farms is the sponsor for the 2024 Grand Circuit awards.

Here are the leaders (through the races on June 29, 2024):

Drivers: 1. Yannick Gingras – 288.5; 2. Dexter Dunn – 270; 3. Matt Kakaley – 167; 4. Jason Bartlett – 161.5; 5. James MacDonald – 149.

Trainers: 1. Ron Burke – 224; 2. Travis Alexander – 162; 3. Ake Svanstedt – 147; 4. Nancy Takter – 116; 5. Anthony Beaton – 109.

Owners: 1. Guy Corbeil – 57; 2. Burke Racing Stable – 53.3; 3t. Kathy Cecchin – 50; 3t. Symmetry Stables – 50; 5. Graham Grace Stables – 45.

Looking Ahead: Grand Circuit action will take place next week at The Meadowlands. The track will feature the Meadowlands Pace final for three-year-olds, the William Haughton Memorial for older pacers, the Hambletonian Maturity for four-year-old trotters, the Stanley Dancer Memorial for three-year-old male trotters, the Delvin Miller Memorial for three-year-old filly trotters, the Mistletoe Shalee for three-year-old filly pacers, the Dorothy Haughton Memorial for older pacing mares and a leg of the Miss Versatility Series for older trotting mares on a big July 13 card.

(Grand Circuit)