The Grand Circuit’s second stop of the season at Plainridge Park features the $100,000 USD Battle of Bunker Hill Trot (Grade 3) for three-year-olds on Thursday, May 15. A full field of 10 will go postward and includes five horses who are eligible to the 100th edition of the $1.2 million USD Hambletonian Stakes (Grade 1) on Aug 2 at The Meadowlands.

My Degenerate, Variegated, Karinchak, Civilian Drone and Goo Goo Gone will get their early work in as they point their seasons towards a Hambletonian start while the Massachusetts-bred My Degenerate and Moni Man will be the representatives of the host state’s breeding program. The draw provided a very even field, but several starters have already put in solid stakes efforts in their early starts this year.

My Degenerate (Muscle Hill-Decadence) made his second start of the year in the Dexter Cup at The Meadowlands and came up a head shy of victory in a stellar 1:53.4 mile with a :26.4 kick home. My Degenerate finished his year strong in 2024 with a second-place finish in the Massachusetts Breeders Stakes final, a 1:53.1 lifetime best, 13-1/2 length romp in an overnight at Harrah’s Philadelphia and a fifth-place finish in the Valley Victory. Tyler Miller will drive for trainer Julie Miller and will get underway from post seven.

Variegated (Chapter Seven-White Cheetah) similarly ended his freshman season with a bang after winning the New York Sire Stakes (NYSS) final and a division of the Reynolds Stakes in successive starts. He hit the board in six of his eight outings and comes into this race as the highest money earner to date, topping $300,000. He is also the only entrant making his first start of the year. Trainer Marcus Melander has Dexter Dunn in the bike and has drawn post two behind the gate.

Karinchak (Chapter Seven-Sianna Hanover) put in some solid performances in the NYSS last year, where he scored his only victory of 2024. He also finished fourth, beaten only 2-3/4 lengths in that NYSS final before competing in the Breeders Crown elimination, where he made an unfortunate break. This year, Karinchak has run off three consecutive wins in the Bobby Weiss Series at Pocono Downs and comes into this race off a sharp lifetime-best outing of 1:53.2 in that series final. Mark MacDonald will be at the lines for trainer Ray Schnittker and will line up from post eight.

Civilian Drone (Chapter Seven-Southwind Snow) started last year in the NYSS, where he got his first lifetime victory at Vernon Downs. From there, he saw tough competition on the Grand Circuit, facing the likes of Maryland while competing in the Peter Haughton. Then after two third-place finishes in Grand Circuit stakes action at The Red Mile, he closed out his season in the Breeders Crown elimination where he finished seventh. In his first stakes this year, Civilian Drone finished third, right behind My Degenerate, in the Dexter Cup race timed in 1:54.3. Civilian Drone will start from the second tier for driver Bruce Ranger, who received the assignment from trainer Nancy Takter.

The lightly raced Goo Goo Gone (Googoo Gaagaa- Synonymous Hanover) was a Kentucky Sire Stakes winner in his three rookie starts and kicked off his sophomore campaign with a career-best victory in 1:56.4 at Northfield Park. The Chris Beaver trainee will be driven by Aaron Merriman and has drawn post five.

The Bunker Hill Trot is carded as race six with an estimated post time on Thursday of 5:40 p.m. The first race at Plainridge Park will go off at 4 p.m. The complete field is listed below (with driver changes not yet finalized).

$100,000 USD Battle Of Bunker Hill Trot
Post - Horse - Listed Driver - Trainer
1. Moni Man - Brett Beckwith - Paul Kelley          
2. Variegated - Dexter Dunn - Marcus Melander          
3. Arrowhead Hanover - Anthony Macdonald - Joel Flanders          
4. Global Sensation - Brett Beckwith - Marcus Melander          
5. Goo Goo Gone - Aaron Merriman - Christopher Beaver          
6. Memento Mori - Anthony MacDonald - Joel Flanders          
7. My Degenerate - Tyler Miller - Julie Miller          
8. Karinchak - Mark Macdonald - Ray Schnittker          
9. Cheers Hanover - Brett Beckwith - Ron Burke          
10.] Civilian Drone - Bruce Ranger - Nancy Takter

(With files from Plainridge Park; photo of My Degenerate winning last year)