The field has been drawn for northeast Ohio’s newest premier race, the Cleveland Trotting Classic, which will head to post this Friday (July 3) at Northfield Park. The ‘Classic’ carries a $170,000 purse for its inaugural edition and has attracted some of the best veteran trotters in North America.

The Grand Circuit event is the featured race on Northfield’s stakes-laden program, which offers total purses of $647,500.

Ontario-sired Daylon Magician is the richest in the field with $1,871,597 in earnings. He drew Post 7 and has been rated at odds of 6-1 on the morning line. The seven year-old has five wins so far this season and 30 lifetime victories, the richest being in the $1 million Canadian Trotting Classic at Mohawk Racetrack in 2011. Jack Moiseyev trains and drives Daylon Magician, who races for Daylon Farms Ltd. of Komoka, Ont.

Obrigado drew Post 2 and has been named the 2-1 morning-line favorite. He is entering the Classic off of a 1:51.3 mark-lowering win in the $50,000 TVG Free for All at the Meadowlands Racetrack. Mark MacDonald has been named to drive the five-year-old gelding. Obrigado sports 31 wins, including 21 consecutive victories earlier in his career, and has lifetime earnings of $421,164.

DWs NY Yank is the 3-1 second choice. He drew Post 3 for powerhouse trainer Ron Burke. The six-year-old has five wins this year and 37 career victories. DWs NY Yank is a hard-hitting Open trotter that has garnered career earnings of $855,914 with a 1:51.3 mark at Pocono Downs taken in 2013.

The field for the 2015 Cleveland Trotting Classic appears below. Driver selections will be finalized by 9 p.m. Tuesday evening.

2015 CLEVELAND TROTTING CLASSIC
(Post – Horse – Listed Driver – Morning Line Odds)
1 – Count Me In – Aaron Merriman – 9-2
2 – Obrigado – Mark MacDonald – 2-1
3 – DWs NY Yank – Chris Page – 3-1
4 – Awesome Valley – Aaron Merriman – 20-1
5 – Datsyuk – Charlie Norris – 15-1
6 – Rompaway Galaxy – Aaron Merriman – 12-1
7 – Daylon Magician – Jack Moiseyev – 6-1
8 – Il Sogno Dream – Aaron Merriman – 8-1

The undercard will include no less than 11 Ohio Sires Stakes races, each of which carry a purse of $40,000 and feature the best freshman filly pacers and trotters in the Buckeye State. Six divisions of filly pacers and five filly trot stakes races will head to post.

Superfecta wagering has been added to Friday’s eleventh race, which is the Classic feature. A $10,000 Guaranteed Pick 4 has also been added and covers races eight through 11. First race post time is 6 p.m.

Guests who want to be close to all of the racing action can stop by the grandstand apron for a plethora of free fanfare activities. These attractions include a t-shirt toss from the winner’s circle by the successful driver of each race, driver meet-and-greets and commemorative poster signings throughout the evening, ‘Harness Racing Bingo’ offering over $1,000 in cash and prizes, country band ‘Six String Cowboy’ performing on the apron from 6 p.m. until 10 p.m., and spinning of the Northfield Park Prize Wheel for cash and prizes from 8 p.m. until 9:30 p.m.

(With files from Northfield)