by Paul Ramlow, publicity director, The Grand Circuit

This Week: Ben Franklin Pace, Earl Beal Jr. Memorial, Max C. Hempt Memorial and James M. Lynch Memorial finals, Mohegan Sun at Pocono Downs, Wilkes-Barre, Pa.; Hanover Colt Stakes, Balmoral Park, Crete, Ill.; Hudson Filly Trot elimination, Yonkers Raceway, Yonkers, N.Y.; and Miss Versatility, Mohawk Racetrack, Campbellville, Ontario.

Schedule of events: The Grand Circuit spotlight will once again be on Mohegan Sun at Pocono Downs this Saturday night (June 29) as the track will host four lucrative stakes finals in the $500,000 Ben Franklin for older pacers, the $500,000 Earl Beal, Jr. Memorial for 3-year-old trotters, the $500,000 Max C. Hempt Memorial for 3-year-old pacers and the $300,000 James M. Lynch Memorial for 3-year-old filly pacers.

Saturday night will also see Grand Circuit action at Balmoral Park with the $50,000 (est.) Hanover Colt Stakes for 3-year-old male trotters and at Yonkers Raceway with a $20,000 elimination in the Hudson Filly Trot for 3-year-old filly trotters.

Mohawk will host a $40,000 (est.) leg of the Miss Versatility for older female trotters on Monday (July 1).

Complete entries for the Pocono, Balmoral and Yonkers races can be found by clicking on this link. Mohawk entries are available at this link.

Last time: Last weekend’s Grand Circuit action opened up on Friday night (June 21) at Meadowlands Racetrack with a $50,000 TVG Free For All trotting series leg and Market Share rallied from mid-pack to win his second of the season in as many starts.

Lisa photo

Market Share was a narrow winner in 1:51.1 in the TVG FFA trot.

Market Share, away sixth for driver Tim Tetrick, was following third over around the final bend, fanned off his cover and stormed home to a 1:51.1 victory by a half-length over Uncle Peter (David Miller). Sevruga (Andy Miller) finished third.

Mohegan Sun at Pocono Downs hosted 11 Grand Circuit races on Saturday, all eliminations for this week’s Sun Stakes Saturday card.

Grabbing the headlines was Foiled Again, the 9-year-old gelding who boosted his lifetime bankroll to $4,920,444 by winning the third of three eliminations for the Ben Franklin Pace in 1:48 — a world record for older pacing geldings on a five-eighths-mile track, lowering by a tick the mark first established by Bettor Sweet and then equaled this year at Pocono by Camaes Fellow. Razzle Dazzle and Dynamic Youth captured the other Franklin elims.

For the third straight week Captaintreacherous gave his backers some anxious moments in his Max Hempt elimination, but his :53 back half after a leisurely :55.4 front half was enough for the 1:48.4 front-end triumph for driver Tim Tetrick. Emeritus Maximus and Sunfire Blue Chip won the other two Hempt eliminations.

In the Earl Beal eliminations, Smilin Eli (Tim Tetrick) had to go :26.3 to obtain the early lead from the outside post eight in his elim, but he was equal to the task while remaining undefeated after four starts, halting the timer in 1:52.3. Jimmy Takter trainees Corky and Dontyouforgetit won the other Beal eliminations.

I Luv The Nitelife, fresh off her dominating Fan Hanover win, snapped into high gear like a veteran when shown racetrack up the prized Pocono Pike to take her James Lynch elimination for driver Tim Tetrick in 1:50.1. Ms Caila J Fra won the other elimination in a national season’s record 1:49.3 for driver Simon Allard and trainer Steve Elliott.

Complete recaps of the weekend races are available at the Grand Circuit website.

Grand Circuit Standings: In 2013, the Grand Circuit leaders in three categories (driver, trainer and owner) will 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). Hanover Shoe Farms is the sponsor for the 2013 Grand Circuit awards.

Here are the leaders following the past weekend:

Drivers: 1. Yannick Gingras – 502.5; 2. Tim Tetrick – 408; 3. David Miller 238; 4. Brian Sears – 224.5; and 5. Andy Miller – 154.

Trainers: 1. Ron Burke – 562.5; 2. Jimmy Takter – 163.5; 3. Linda Toscano – 132; 4. PJ Fraley – 113; and 5. Chris Ryder – 99.

Owners: 1. Burke Racing – 111.4; 2. Weaver Bruscemi – 108.7; 3. Our Horse Cents Stable – 63; and 4t. Bamond Racing and KDM Stables Corp. – 62.

Looking ahead: Grand Circuit action will take place next weekend at Historic Track, Hazel Park Raceway, Meadowlands Racetrack and Yonkers Raceway. Historic Track will host eight Landmark Stakes events for 2- and 3-year-olds on Friday (July 5); Hazel Park will contest eliminations for the William Connors Memorial for 3-year-old trotters, also on Friday (July 5); the Meadowlands will contest the Reynolds Memorial stakes for 3-year-old trotters on Friday (July 5) and eliminations for the Meadowlands Pace, William Haughton Memorial and Mistletoe Shalee on Saturday (July 6), along with another leg of the TVG FFA series for trotters; and Yonkers will host the Hudson Filly Trot final on Saturday (July 6).