Hightstown, NJ – Matthew Burkholder is bringing back several Grand Circuit-winning trotters for the 2026 season, including world-record-holder Silverstein, and will watch the first horse from that group head into action this week at Hollywood Casino at The Meadows.
Battle Hill, who closed his 3-year-old campaign this past October with a career-best performance on the Grand Circuit, in a division of the Circle City Stakes, is set for his seasonal debut Thursday (March 19) in the $19,000 Open Handicap for trotters at The Meadows.
Last year, Battle Hill finished no worse than second in eight of 12 races, winning seven and earning $225,455 for Burkholder and owner William Hartt. For his career, the 4-year-old son of Marseille-Battle Mage has captured 11 of 21 starts, hit the board an additional six times, and banked $387,705.
The gelding prepped for Thursday’s start with a 1:56.1 qualifier win at The Meadows on March 10 with Burkholder in the sulky. Ronnie Wrenn Jr. will handle the driving this week, leaving from post four in a field of six. Battle Hill is the 3-1 second choice on the morning line, behind 6-5 favorite Sforza, who has won five of six races this year.
“He’s doing great,” Burkholder said about Battle Hill. “He qualified good and hopefully he gets a nice trip Thursday, gets his legs under him. Hopefully, he comes back strong, which I think he will. He’s matured a lot. He’s much more relaxed this year than he was last year.”
Battle Hill is a two-time Ohio Breeders Championship winner and was victorious in a total of six other stakes events for Ohio-sired trotters at ages 2 and 3. He was third in the Ohio Sire Stakes Scarlet final in 2024 but went off stride in the 2025 final, finishing eighth-placed-ninth at Hollywood Dayton Raceway, for the only missed paycheck of his career.
“We haven’t had any luck, both years, in the sire stakes final, but right from the get-go he’s been a great horse,” Burkholder said. “He’s a big horse, a great-looking horse, and just so powerful. He’s been a blessing, that’s for sure.”
Battle Hill rebounded from last year’s Ohio Sire Stakes disappointment by winning his Circle City division in his next start, stopping the clock in a career-best 1:53.1 at Harrah’s Hoosier Park.
“I didn’t want to shut him down after the sire stakes final; I wanted to put him away on a positive note,” Burkholder said. “He was staked to that race, so we kept him going, and he was very good that night.”
Battle Hill’s Circle City triumph gave the 28-year-old Burkholder his fourth Grand Circuit victory of 2025. He got his first career Grand Circuit win when 2-year-old male trotter Requiem won a division of the Grade 3 Bluegrass Stakes on Sept. 25 at Lexington’s Red Mile and added two more when Requiem and Silverstein both won divisions of the Grade 3 International Stallion Stakes over the same oval a week later.
Silverstein’s time of 1:51.4 in the International Stallion Stakes equaled the world record for a 2-year-old gelding trotter. Silverstein, who finished third in the Mohawk Million at Woodbine Mohawk Park in his start prior to the INSS, capped his campaign by winning a $100,000 Kentucky Sire Stakes final at Cumberland Run in 1:52.4 to equal the world record for a freshman gelding trotter on a five-eighths-mile track.
Requiem and Silverstein, both owned by Dark Horse Farm, are being pointed toward the inaugural Oak Grove Trotting Derby for 3-year-old trotters at Oak Grove Racing, Gaming & Hotel, which will host eliminations on May 4 and the $500,000 on May 16.
“Both of them are doing well, training back good,” Burkholder said. “The Oak Grove Trotting Derby comes up early, so they’ll have to get going before too long. Requiem is eligible to the Hambletonian, Silverstein is not, but they’re staked to a full schedule this year.”
Silverstein hit the board in 11 of 12 races last season, winning four and earning $370,340. Requiem hit the board in nine of 10 starts, winning four and banking $143,300. Their success helped propel Burkholder’s stable to its first million-dollar season, finishing with $1.24 million in 257 starts.
“It was a very good year, I was very happy with it,” said Burkholder, who operates a 30-horse stable in Ohio. “I’ve been fortunate to have good owners buying me good horses, and I really appreciate it. It’s not just me; it’s the work of all the people around me. Hopefully, we continue to build on it.”