The publicity department for the Grand Circuit has sent out its weekly recap and preview of Grand Circuit races.
This Week: Dan Patch Invitational, Hoosier Park, Anderson, Ind.; Carl Milstein Memorial, Northfield Park, Northfield, Ohio; Fox Stake, the Ralph Wilfong, the Horseman Stakes and the Hoosier Stakes, Indiana State Fair, Indianapolis, Ind.; Crawford Farm Trot, Joie De Vie and Tompkins-Geers Stakes, Tioga Downs, Nichols, N.Y.; and Gold Cup and Saucer trials, Red Shores Racetrack & Casino, Charlottetown, PEI.
Schedule of Events: An extremely busy week of Grand Circuit action will kick off this Wednesday (August 7) as the Indiana State Fair will host one day of Grand Circuit racing with the feature being the $55,150 Fox Stake for two-year-old colt pacers. The co-featured event is the $33,383 Ralph Wilfong for two-year-old colt trotters. The Hoosier Stakes for two-year-olds will see two divisions each in the $24,646 two-year-old filly trot and the $24,150 two-year-old filly pace. Single divisions will be contested in the $21,742 two-year-old colt trot and the $20,862 two-year-old colt pace. The Horseman Stakes for three-year-olds features single divisions in the $36,345 three-year-old colt trot, the $32,550 three-year-old colt pace, the $29,343 three-year-old filly trot, and the $29,068 three-year-old filly pace.
Friday night (August 9) at Hoosier Park will feature the $330,000 Dan Patch Invitational for older pacing horses. Also on Friday, Tioga Downs will host four sets of Tompkins-Geers stakes for two-year-old pacers and trotters. There will be two divisions each in the $83,100 two-year-old filly trot and the $58,700 two-year-old colt pace, with single divisions in the $64,900 two-year-old filly pace and the $54,000 two-year-old colt trot.
On Saturday (August 10), Northfield Park will host the $400,000 Carl Milstein Memorial for three-year-old pacers. Also on Saturday, Red Shores Racetrack & Casino will host one of two trials for the Gold Cup and Saucer for older pacers. The second trial will be held on Monday (August 12).
The week’s action will continue on Sunday (August 11) at Tioga Downs with the $175,000 (est.) Crawford Farms Trot for older open trotters and the $175,000 (est.) Joie De Vie for older trotting mares.
Last Time: Hambletonian Day was to be a day to unfurl Swedish flags at the Meadowlands Racetrack. Why not? Rising star Marcus Melander started the day with a powerhouse four-horse contingent locked and loaded, taking dead aim at the three-year-old trotting classic. But when the dust settled, Canadians were celebrating, as Forbidden Trade pulled a 15-1 upset. Canada’s champion two-year-old showed the heart of a warrior to hold off 3-10 favourite Greenshoe by neck in a dramatic fight to the finish in the $1 million final on Saturday (August 3). It was the first Hambletonian victory for the Canadian trio of owner Serge Godin’s Determination Stable, trainer Luc Blais and driver Bob McClure. To read a recap of the race and watch the replay, click here.
Grand Circuit Standings: In 2019, the Grand Circuit leaders in three categories (driver, trainer and owner) will once again be tracked on a points system (20-10-5 for the top three finishers in divisions/finals and 10-5-2 for the top three finishers in eliminations/legs). Winbak Farms is the sponsor for the 2019 Grand Circuit awards.
Here are the leaders following this past weekend:
Drivers: 1. Tim Tetrick – 701; 2. Yannick Gingras – 526; 3. David Miller – 379; 4. Dexter Dunn – 339; 5. Andrew McCarthy – 309.
Trainers: 1. Ron Burke – 613; 2. Tony Alagna – 282; 3. Jim King Jr. – 274; 4. Marcus Melander – 249; 5. Jim Campbell – 206.
Owners: 1. Fashion Farms – 182; 2. Burke Racing Stable – 114.6; 3. Courant Inc. – 107.5; 4. Weaver Bruscemi – 104.6; 5. Jo Ann Looney-King – 101.2.
Looking Ahead: Grand Circuit action will be taking place next week at Vernon Downs, Tioga Downs, Red Shores Racetrack & Casino and Hippodrome 3R. Vernon will host the Zweig Memorial races for three-year-old colt and filly trotters. Tioga Downs will feature the Roll With Joe for open pacers, Artiscape for older pacing mares, and a leg of the Miss Versatility for trotting mares. Red Shores Racetrack & Casino has the Gold Cup and Saucer final; and Hippodrome 3R will contest the Prix d’Ete for four-year-old pacers.
(With files from the Grand Circuit)