The Grand Circuit will make its third visit of 2022 to Plainridge Park on Sunday (July 24) when the track will host the $250,000 Spirit Of Massachusetts Trot and $100,000 Clara Barton Distaff Pace. Since their inception, these two stakes have re-written the track’s record books multiple times and have drawn thousands of fans to The Ridge each year to witness the event.
The Spirit Of Massachusetts Trot has 21 eligibles and many of those horses are racing in other stakes being held at The Meadowlands this weekend. Balenciaga, Inaminute Hanover, Incommunicado and Take All Comers are all entered in the $432,000 E.T. Gerry Hambletonian Maturity while Next Level Stuff, P L Notsonice, Sorella and Weslynn Quest will compete in the $40,000 Ms. Versatility Trot.
The Clara Barton had 16 mares pay in and a number of those will be in action over the weekend as well including six in the $175,000 Dorothy Haughton Memorial, also at The Meadowlands. Those Barton hopefuls include Amazing Dream N, Gias Surreal, Grace Hill, Racine Bell, Watch Me Now N and the Clara Barton stake’s defending champion and Plainridge Park track record holder, Lyons Sentinel (pictured above).
The Spirit day card will also feature Plainridge’s signature stake, the $50,000 Bert Beckwith Memorial Pace that will consist of the best resident pacers competing for that top prize. Two $25,000 eliminations for that stake will be held on Monday (July 18) with the top four finishers of each division moving to the final.
Also on the card will be three other series finals going for $20,000, $17,500 and $15,000 along with a special race for the New England Amateur Driver’s Club. The draw for Spirit day is Tuesday (July 19).
There will be a reception and luncheon for the owners, trainers and drivers who have horses in the Spirit and Barton held in the track’s upstairs event centre, the Boylston Room, which overlooks the homestretch. Connections of all the day’s main events will be able to dine and watch from the best seat in the house.
Plainridge Park will offer three free-to-enter $500 cash giveaways, one of which will be drawn after each of the three feature races. Everyone 18 and over attending is eligible to enter.
Free live music by the world renowned Berkshire Valley Boys will entertain the fans all day and Todd Angilly, the official National anthem singer for the NHL's Boston Bruins, will also be at the track to sing the anthem and perform.
Radio station B101 Providence will be doing a live remote from the track offering their own giveaways that day. B101 can be heard on FM or streamed online at iHeart Radio and Tunein.
All attending fans will be able to help retired race horses by making a direct donation to the Standardbred Transition Alliance, which is a non-profit organization whose mission is to accredit, inspect and award grants to approved organizations that acquire, rehabilitate, train and re-home Standardbreds. And everyone who makes a donation will be entered into a free random drawing for a 2022 Hambletonian package that includes two admissions, VIP Tent tickets, programs and hats that were donated by the Hambletonian Society. The Hambletonian will be held at Meadowlands Racetrack on Saturday (Aug. 6).
The Standardbred Owners of Massachusetts will be set up outside the grandstand with information about breeding Standardbreds in Massachusetts. They will also be giving away copies of the recently published children’s book Love To Race, which tells a story through the eyes of retired Standardbred race horse Derek Bromac N. These books will be signed by author Amber Sawyer and given to the first 75 kids who come to their table and ask for one. Children must be accompanied by an adult in order to request a free book.
Face painting and a caricature artist for the kids will also be available.
Post time for the first race is 2 p.m. but the gates will open at 1 p.m. for all the planned festivities.
(Plainridge)