The Dr. Harry M. Zweig Memorial, a Grand Circuit trotting stakes, will celebrate its 50th anniversary with top fields of three-year-old colts and fillies competing for more than $500,000 USD in purses on the Independence Day holiday evening, July 4 at Vernon Downs.
The $300,000 USD main event (Race 9) is led by T C I, a top contender for the Aug. 3 Hambletonian who is unbeaten as a sophomore after an O'Brien Award-winning two-year-old season where he set a new earnings standard for trotting colts with $1,453,370 delivered to the partnership of Burke Racing Stable, Hatfield Stables, Knox Services and Weaver Bruscemi. U.S. Hall of Fame driver Dave Miller will be in to steer the son of Cantab Hall for U.S. Hall of Fame trainer Ron Burke.
It won't be an easy assignment for T C I, as he'll face multiple Grand Circuit stakes winner Sir Pinocchio (Jason Bartlett), who just last Saturday added the Yonkers Trot crown to the Dexter Cup he won in May, resulting in earnings of more than $400,000 while being first or second in all seven of his seasonal starts for owner/breeder Carolyn Atherton and trainer Eddie Hart.
The $128,000 USD Zweig filly trot (Race 8) boasts the winner of last year's Breeders Crown in Warrawee Michelle, who will be making her first start of the year with trainer Ake Svanstedt driving the filly he owns in partnership with Santandrea Inc., and Young Guns.
She'll face the current "Queen of the New York Sires Stakes" R Melina (driver Tyler Buter/trainer John Butenschoen), the winner of last year's NYSS final in Senorita Palema (Tim Tetrick/Svanstedt), Kentucky Sires Stakes final winner Date Night Hanover (Dexter Dunn/Marcus Melander) and 2023 Kindergarten Classic final champion Sambuca Hanover (Dave Miller/Nifty Norman).
There will be consolation races for both events and a pair of New York Sires Stakes for two-year-old trotting colts along with the usual complement of Excelsior supporting stakes.
First post on Thursday will be 6:15 p.m. and much is planned along with the great card of races to entertain the holiday crowd. The evening will end with a volley of post-racing fireworks to celebrate America's Independence.
(With files from Vernon Downs)