While the Canadian Pacing Derby didn't require eliminations, there is no shortage of star power this weekend at Woodbine Mohawk Park as Grand Circuit stakes action heats up in a big way over the Friday, Aug. 23 and Saturday, Aug. 24 cards.

Trotters take centre stage on Friday with a single $140,000 Casual Breeze Stakes division and two $50,000 Maple Leaf Trot eliminations.

Despite going winless in four starts this year, 2023 Peaceful Way champ Drawn Impression (PP1, Louis-Philippe Roy, 9-5) gets morning line favouritism in the Casual Breeze. Leaving from the pylons, the Luc Blais-trained daughter of Muscle Hill - Emoticon Hanover finished a solid second in her Hambletonian Oaks elim but made a break in the Oaks final. Her stablemate — and in theory, her aunt — Emoji Hanover (PP10, Dexter Dunn, 7-2) will have to over come the outside starting spot to factor. Ontario Sires Stakes standouts R Liza (PP7, TBA, 5-1) and Willys Home Run (PP9, James MacDonald, 10-1) also warrant consideration here despite less than ideal posts.

Two bulky Maple Leaf Trot eliminations are slated for Friday, with the top five finishers from a nine-horse field (Race 7) and a 10-horse field (Race 9) determining the lineup for the final on Saturday, Aug. 31. The sport's top trotter, Jiggy Jog S, will sit this one out in preparation for the 2024 Yonkers International Trot but Team Svanstedt looks to be heard from regardless.

Southwind Tyrion (PP7, Ake Svanstedt, 8-5) enters the first elimination off back-to-back sub-1:50 trotting miles, including an impressive 1:49.2 score in the Crawford Farms Trot at The Meadowlands at the end of June. He sports the fastest mark in the field, and he's the co-fastest trotter this year in North America this year. Winners Bet (PP9, Dexter Dunn, 7-2) sports a mark one-fifth of a second slower. These two will need all of that speed to overcome the likes of Its Academic (PP1, David Miller, 4-1) and Chapercraz (PP3, J. MacDonald, 6-1) to prevail.

The second elim features a standout pair of veteran trotters with solid summaries this season. M Ms Dream (PP3, D. Miller, 5-2) has only finished first or second in her nine appearances this year, winning six including the 2024 Dr. John R. Steele Memorial on Hambletonian Day in 1:50.4 earlier this month. To her outside, 2023 O'Brien Award winner Logan Park (PP4, Doug McNair, 8-5). That local standout hasn't missed the top three (6-2-1) in his seasonal starts and last lost in Canadian soil in mid-June. His most recent success came at Georgian Downs, winning the 2024 Earl Rowe Memorial Trot on Aug. 11. Two-time Graduate Series leg winner Hasty Bid (PP10, J. MacDonald, 10-1) will have to overcome the outermost starting spot to tackle these trotting titans.

Outside of Grand Circuit stakes action, the sport's top ranked three-year-old pacing filly Its A Love Thing (PP5, J. MacDonald, 4-5) returns from Kentucky Sire Stakes action for the fourth leg of the Ontario Sires Stakes Gold Series. That dash is set for the eighth race, between the two Maple Leaf Trot elims.

Saturday's card is headlined by the $575,000 William Wellwood Memorial Trot (Race 10) and the $390,000 Peaceful Way.

Odds-on choice Tactical Dynasty muscled to a 1:53.4 victory in the first $30,000 Wellwood elimination this past Saturday, while Emoticon Legacy stayed unbeaten after collaring 1-5 favourite Nordic Catcher S in the final strides of a 1:56 mile to prevail in the second elimination.

Royal Mission scored a mild upset at odds of 8-1 with a pocket pounce to a 1:54.3 victory in the first $30,000 Peaceful Way elimination, while R Dutchess trotted the mile of her life to knock off 3-5 favourite Champagne Problems in the second Peaceful Way elimination, winning in 1:53.1. To read more about the Peaceful Way and William Wellwood elims, click here.

Two-year-old pacers share the Saturday spotlight, with a $230,000 Nassagaweya Stakes division for male pacers and two $110,000 divisions of the Eternal Camnation for filly pacers on the docket.

A strong septet head to the gate in the Nassagaweya to start the Saturday stakes action in the second race. Prince Hal Hanover (PP4, Bob McClure, 9-5) and Dream Maker final winner Ayeaye Captain Deo (PP5, Sylvain Filion, 7-2) sport identical 2-1-1 records from four appearances and will look to change that win total to three in their richest test to date.

The first Eternal Camnation division features the unbeaten Chantilly (PP8, J. MacDonald, 6-5) with seven rivals looking to add a blemish to that spotless record to her inside. Au Jus Hanover (PP2, Andrew McCarthy, 7-2) comes into this test off a 1:53 score in the Whenuwishuponastar Series final on Aug. 9.

Cant See Me (PP1, Dunn, 7-5) was the beaten favourite in that Whenuwishuponastar finale, and the filly will look to atone from her first career loss in the second Eternal Camnation split. Nice Buns (PP8, J. MacDonald) was just peachy in her career debut on Aug. 9, while Battle of the Belles elim winner Perfectly Chic (PP6, Bob McClure, 4-1) returns after being scratched sick from the Aug. 5 final. 

With the 11 Canadian Pacing Derby entrants advancing to the $540,000 final on Aug. 31, four of the horses entered have dropped into the box for this Saturday and will compete in a $40,000 Preferred Pace. Those horses include Abuckabett Hanover (PP3, Dunn, 3-1), ​Allywag Hanover (PP5, Todd McCarthy, 5-2), ​Its My Show (PP2, Scott Zeron, 6-1) and ​Oakwood Ardan IR (PP7, Andy McCarthy, 2-1). That dash is carded as the ninth race this Saturday.

To view the entries for the stakes-laden cards of harness racing at Woodbine Mohawk Park this weekend, click one of the following links:

• Woodbine Mohawk Park, Friday, Aug. 23: Entries || Program Pages (courtesy TrackIT)
• Woodbine Mohawk Park, Saturday, Aug. 24: Entries || Program Pages (courtesy TrackIT)

(Standardbred Canada)