Grand Circuit action returns to Woodbine Mohawk Park this Saturday, Aug. 31 with a pair of Simcoe Stakes divisions slated for the undercard of the 2024 Canadian Pacing Derby and Maple Leaf Trot finals.

The $600,000 Maple Leaf Trot (Race 10) and the $540,000 Canadian Pacing Derby (Race 8) are the anchors on a top-notch card of harness racing that includes some of the province's best two-year-old pacers in Ontario Sires Stakes action and elite trotting talent in single Simcoe splits.

Nine of the fillies from the 2024 Casual Breeze Stakes — the top nine finishers, actually — are back for the $156,000 Simcoe division. Drawn Impression (PP9, Louis-Philippe Roy, 6-5) was a six-plus length winner from the rail last week, but draws post nine in Saturday's assignment. In fact, the top-three finishers from the Casual Breeze all received less than ideal starting spots with runner-up Emoji Hanover (PP8, Dexter Dunn, 9-2) and third-place R Liza (PP10, Scott Zeron, 5-1) all on the outside of the starting gate. The Simcoe for trotting fillies is the third dash of the evening.

The runner-up in the 2024 Hambletonian, Highland Kismet makes his pari-mutuel return in Saturday's $164,000 open Simcoe division. The Canadian record holder drew post three in the sixth race for driver Bob McClure and Mark Etsell, who surpassed the $10 million mark in career purse earnings with that Hambletonian payday. Etsell qualified the trotter last week without trotting hopples, and he's back in 'pantless' this week with eight rivals to beat as the 4-5 morning line choice. Paquet (PP2, Jody Jamieson, 9-2) has two wins in two starts, winning each impressively, and steps up for his biggest test to date.

The three Grand Circuit-winning two-year-old pacers from last Saturday at Mohawk return to the Ontario Sires Stakes program this weekend. Eternal Camnation-winning pacing fillies Chantilly (PP8, James MacDonald, 4-5) and Perfectly Chic (PP10, McClure, 6-1) square off for the first time since their July 16 encounter in the second Gold series leg.  Chantilly has yet to taste defeat in four appearances, while Perfectly Chic hasn't finished worse than second in five outings. Those two will get reacquainted this Saturday in the fourth OSS Gold leg, slotted as the second race.

Boxer Seelster threw his hat into the ring as a contender in the two-year-old pacing colt division this past Saturday, winning the single Nassagaweya division with an effortless 1:52 score. The colt drew post nine for driver Trevor Henry in an oversized 11-horse OSS Gold fourth leg in the seventh race, listed as the 5-2 morning line favourite. Mid-Season final winner Allstar Maniac sits this one out, but the next four finishers from that event including runner-up Fifth And Five (PP5, Jamieson, 3-1) are slated to compete.

The rookie pacers set the stage for the older bearcats, with 11 grizzled pacing veterans lining up for the $540,000 Canadian Pacing Derby in the eighth race. Abuckabett Hanover (PP6, Dexter Dunn, 5-2) tuned up for Saturday's test with a 1:49.1 score last Saturday in the Preferred against a number of horses he'll compete against this coming Saturday. Among those joining the fray, Graduate winner Voukefalas (PP9, Jordan Stratton, 9-2), Always B Miki invitational winner Ruthless Hanover (PP10, Andy Miller, 10-1) and local top class terror Taurasi (PP11, Doug McNair, 4-1).

Ten top older trotters will vie for the 2024 Maple Leaf Trot in Race 10. Periculum (PP5 Scott Zeron, 9-5) soared over his competition in his elim while Logan Park (PP2, Doug McNair, 5-2) moved up a placing via disqualification to win their respective $50,000 eliminations. Millionaires Hillexotic (PP4, Jamieson, 6-1), Oh Well (PP7, Dunn, 8-1), Fashion Frenzie (PP8, Roy, 10-1) and M Ms Dream (PP9, David Miller, 9-2) cannot be overlooked as likely factors. For more on the Maple Leaf Trot eliminations, click here.

First post on Saturday night is 7:10 p.m. To view the entries for Saturday's card of harness racing, click one of the following links:

• Woodbine Mohawk Park - Saturday Entries - Saturday Program Pages (courtesy TrackIT).

(Standardbred Canada)