A trio of rich Grand Circuit stakes for three-year-olds top a 14-race card as Harrah’s Chester Racetrack presents its annual "Super Stakes Sunday" this weekend
. All told, $2.4 million in combined purses have attracted many of the sport’s best trotters and pacers to the Chester oval.
The main events are the $500,000 Colonial Trot, the $500,000 Battle of the Brandywine Pace and the $350,000 Valley Forge Pace. The undercard consists of several generous consolations for the three stakes, along with a number of high caliber overnight events.
The Battle of Brandywine is headed by one of the sport's top rated pacing stars, Meinzinger, Silva, and Schnittker’s One More Laugh. The gelded son of Mcardle has won 4 of 9 starts this year while banking nearly $800,000. Among his victories are the Art Rooney at Yonkers and the prestigious $1 million Meadowlands Pace. Listed in the morning line as the 9-5 favourite, the Ray Schnittker trainee will leave the gate from post three and will be guided by his regular pilot, Tim Tetrick.
The main threat to the favourite is Frank Bellino’s Rock N Roll Heaven. The maneuverable Rocknroll Hanover colt has won half of his 20 lifetime starts and has earned nearly $1.3 million in purses to date. In his most recent start, he battled One More Laugh to the wire in the Meadowlands Pace only to come up a head short as the 3-10 favourite. Rock N Roll Heaven, who is conditioned by Bruce Saunders and will be driven by Dan Dube, has drawn post four and has been made the 2-1 second choice in the line.
Narrowly beaten as the Hambletonian favourite in his latest outing, Lucky Chucky will open on the board as the 9-5 choice in the Colonial. The Windsongs Legacy colt has amassed $1.1 million in lifetime earnings while meeting the toughest competition in his division. Trained by a Hall of Famer, Chuck Sylvester, and driven by another, John Campbell, Lucky Chucky will leave from post four.
One that could provide serious competition to the choice is Schnittker, Kelk’s, Arden Homestead Stable and Silva’s Cassis. The son of Cantab Hall set a blazing pace in the Hambletonian before tiring badly in the stretch to finish eighth. The Ray Schnittker trainee had been a sharp winner in his Hambo elimination the week prior and a return to that form figures to put him squarely in the Colonial picture. Tim Tetrick has been given the driving assignment on Cassis and the duo will start from the outside post eight.
The $350,000 Valley Forge pits the two best sophomore pacing fillies in harness racing against each other - Put On A Show and Dancinwiththestarz. Most recently, the two rivals faced off in the $275,000 Mistletoe Shalee at the Meadowlands with Dancinwiththestarz scoring an upset victory over the 1-5 favourite, Put On A Show, in a world record time of 1:48.4.
Put On A Show, who is owned by Craig Henderson and Richard & Joanne Young, has notched 14 victories in her 18 lifetime races with $1.2 million in earnings. The Rocknroll Hanover filly, who is trained by Chris Ryder, will start from post four and has been installed as the 2-1 favourite in the early line.
W Springtime Racing Stable and Shannon Brott’s Dancinwiththestarz has drawn post seven. The daughter of Four Starzzz Shark, who is trained by Mark Harder and will be handled by Brian Sears, will open on the board as the 5-2 second choice.
First post for Sunday’s big 14 race card of racing action has been set for 2 p.m.
(Harrah’s Chester Racetrack)