Harness racing's Grand Circuit returns to MGM Yonkers Raceway on Friday night, June 20 with two $25,000 USD MGM Grand Messenger Stakes eliminations for three-year-old male pacers. The Grade 2 MGM Yonkers Trot for sophomore colts and geldings did not require eliminations, with the five horses entered moving straight to the $300,000 USD final on Friday, June 27.
The first leg of the Pacing Triple Crown, the MGM Grand Messenger Stakes, saw 16 horses dropped into the box, so there will be two eight-horse eliminations in races six and seven on Friday's 10-race program, with the top four from each elimination moving on to the Grade 2 $200,000 USD final on June 27.
Fast Choice, a rallying third in last Saturday's North America Cup at Woodbine Mohawk Park, is among the entrants in the opening elimination. Other notables in to go are Manolete, the runner-up in the New Jersey Sire Stakes final, Pennsylvania Sire Stakes standout Twisted Destiny, and North America Cup finalist Dandy Ideal.
Paxamillion is the leading money earner this year among the second elimination starters thanks to his victory in the Virginia Breeders Final at Woodstock last time out. He will face the likes of last year's Pennsylvania Sire Stakes champion Papis Rocket, and New York Sire Stakes star Thirsty Thursday.
A full look at the elimination fields for the MGM Grand Messenger Stakes is as follows:
$20,000 USD MGM Grand Messenger Elimination #1
Post - Horse - Listed Driver - Trainer
1. Jon I Love Dat - Yannick Gingras - Janice Connor
2. Manolete - Scott Zeron - Bruce Saunders
3. Lochlan Hanover - Matt Kakaley - Travis Alexander
4. Snack Attack - Joe Bongiorno - Joe Bongiorno
5. Fast Choice - Scott Zeron - Jared Bako
6. Twisted Destiny - Dexter Dunn - Chris Ryder
7. Dandy Ideal - Jason Bartlett - Hunter Oakes
8. Currys Flurry - George Brennan - Scott Di Domenico
$20,000 USD MGM Grand Messenger Elimination #2
Post - Horse - Driver - Trainer
1. Thirsty Thursday - Tyler Buter - Hunter Oakes
2. Paxamillion - Jason Bartlett - Britney Dillon
3. Holt Hanover - Mark MacDonald - Ray Schnittker
4. Meltdown Monte - Matt Kakaley - Scott Di Domenico
5. World Of Wishes - Jason Bartlett/Dexter Dunn - Chris Ryder
6. Odds On No Limit - Matt Kakaley - Travis Alexander
7. Banderas - Jordan Stratton - Tony Alagna
8. Papis Rocket - Yannick Gingras - Ron Burke
As for the MGM Yonkers Trot, the opening leg of the Trotting Triple Crown, the following horses (in alphabetical order) were entered:
Chat Room
Happy Jack B
Hard Seven
Super Chapter
Variegated
Chat Room won his division of the Empire Breeders Classic at Vernon Downs last time out, while Hard Seven captured the Dexter Cup at The Meadowlands earlier this year. Super Chapter comes off victories in the New York Sire Stakes and Empire Breeders Classic at Vernon, and Variegated won a split of the New York Sire Stakes at Vernon and was last year's NYSS champion at Yonkers. Happy Jack B won his division of the Bluegrass and a New York Sire Stakes leg last season.
In addition to the MGM Grand Messenger and MGM Yonkers Trot finals, their companion stakes races, the Grade 3 Park MGM for pacing fillies and the Grade 3 New York New York Mile for filly trotters, will be part of the stakes-filled program on June 27.
Prior to the Grand Circuit action on Friday, the New York Sire Stakes program makes its first stop at Yonkers this year on Thursday, June 19 with two $77,300 USD top-level tests and a pair of $20,000 USD Excelsior Series groupings for rookie pacing colts and geldings.
MGM Yonkers Raceway is currently operating on a Monday/Tuesday and Thursday through Saturday live racing schedule with post time at 6:45 p.m. However, the oval will also host action on Wednesday, June 18 this week.
(With files from Yonkers Raceway)