by Paul Ramlow, publicity director, the Grand Circuit

This Week: Dan Patch Invitational, Hoosier Park, Anderson, Ind.; Carl Milstein Memorial, Northfield Park, Northfield, Ohio; Moni Maker, The Meadows, Washington, Pa.; Fox Stake, the Ralph Wilfong, the Horseman Stakes and the Hoosier Stakes, Indiana State Fair, Indianapolis, Ind.; Tompkins-Geers and Miss Versatility, 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 kicks off this Thursday (Aug. 11) as the Indiana State Fair will host one day of Grand Circuit racing with the feature being the $51,995 Fox Stake for 2-year-old colt pacers. The co-featured event is the $28,901 Ralph Wilfong for 2-year-old colt trotters. The Hoosier Stakes for 2-year-olds will see two divisions each in the $21,966 2-year-old filly trot, the $21,252 2-year-old filly pace, the $20,740 2-year-old colt pace and the $20,080 2-year-old colt trot. The Horseman Stakes for 3-year-olds features two divisions in the $35,524 3-year-old filly trot and single divisions in the $35,862 3-year-old colt trot, the $25,302 3-year-old filly pace and the $24,395 3-year-old colt pace.

Also on Thursday, Tioga Downs will host two divisions in the $56,820 Tompkins-Geers for 2-year-old filly trotters and two divisions in the $56,670 Tompkins-Geers for 2-year-old colt trotters. Tioga comes right back on Friday (Aug. 12) with three divisions in the $80,068 Tompkins-Geers for 2-year-old filly pacers and three divisions in the $73,920 Tompkins-Geers for 2-year-old colt pacers. Tioga will round out their weekend of Grand Circuit action on Sunday (Aug. 14) with a $40,000 (est.) leg of the Miss Versatility for older trotting mares.

On Friday night (Aug. 12) Hoosier Park will offer the $325,000 Dan Patch Invitational for older pacing horses featuring Always B Miki, Freaky Feet Pete and Wiggle It Jiggleit, along with Shamballa, who defeated that trio in last week’s U.S. Pacing Championship.

On Saturday (Aug. 13) Northfield Park will host the $300,000 Carl Milstein Memorial for 3-year-old pacers with North America Cup champion Betting Line taking on a talented field that includes the filly Pure County.

Also on Saturday The Meadows will feature 3-year-old filly trotters in the $147,500 Moni Maker.

Then over the weekend, Red Shores Racetrack & Casino will host two days of trials for the Gold Cup and Saucer for older pacers. Fourteen horses have being nominated, thus setting the stage for trials on Saturday (Aug. 13) and Monday (Aug. 15). The top finishers in the trials will advance to the final on Saturday (Aug. 20). Harness racing’s richest horse, Foiled Again, has been entered to compete in the legendary race. He has drawn the rail for the first trial.

Complete entries for the U.S. races are available at this link. Entries for the Red Shores Racetrack & Casino races are available at this link.

Last time: Meadowlands Racetrack closed out their Championship Meet this past Saturday with several lucrative Grand Circuit races led by the $1.14 million Hambletonian, the first leg of trotting’s Triple Crown for 3-year-olds.

USTA/Mark Hall photo

Marion Marauder won the Hambletonian final in a time of 1:51.4.

Marion Marauder won Saturday’s Hambletonian, presented by Mullinax Ford, by a nose over Southwind Frank in 1:51.4. Sutton was third as the top three horses stretched across the finish line separated by only a neck in the 91st edition of the sport’s top race for 3-year-old trotters.

It was Marion Marauder’s second win of the day. Earlier in the afternoon, he won his Hambletonian elimination by a half-length over Southwind Frank in a career-best 1:51.3. Last year, Marion Marauder was winless in races against Southwind Frank, finishing second on four occasions.

In the Hambletonian final, Marion Marauder was fifth as Southwind Frank and Bar Hopping traded the lead in the first half of the race. At that point Scott Zeron, driving Marion Marauder for the wife-and-husband training team of Paula Wellwood and Mike Keeling, put his horse in gear and launched a first-over attack.

Marion Marauder was second behind Bar Hopping at three-quarters, but reached the front at the top of the stretch. As Bar Hopping dropped back, eventually finishing fifth, Marion Marauder held off hard-charging challenges from Southwind Frank to his inside and Sutton on the outside. Waitlifter K was fourth, beaten a length.

Marion Marauder, a son of 2009 Hambletonian winner Muscle Hill out of the Nova Award-winning mare Spellbound Hanover, has won six of seven races this year and seven of 20 career starts. He pushed his lifetime earnings to $1.01 million with his Hambletonian triumph for owners Marion Jean Wellwood and Devin Keeling.

Control The Moment won the first jewel in Pacing’s Triple Crown, capturing Saturday’s $320,000 Cane Pace for 3-year-old pacers by one length over Manhattan Beach at the Meadowlands. JK Will Power was third, nosing out filly Pure Country for the show spot. The race featured a field of 11 horses and was contested at 1-1/8 miles. The time was 2:02.4.

Control The Moment was sixth in the early part of the race, which saw Big Top Hanover lead to the first quarter in :25.4 before JK Will Power took the front and guided the field to the half in :54.2.

From there, JK Will Power and Manny engaged in a battle for the top spot, hitting three-quarters in 1:21.4. But Control The Moment made a big move on the final turn and took control for the victory. The time to the mile was 1:49.

Pure Country, who was trying to join Countess Adios as the only filly to win the Cane Pace, started the race from the trailing position and was eighth through the first half of the race.

Control The Moment, racing for the first time since winning the Meadowlands Pace on July 16, was driven by Brian Sears for trainer Brad Maxwell. The colt has won four of eight races this season and 12 of 17 in his career. A son of Well Said-Life’sliltreasure, he is owned by the Control The Moment Stable. He has earned $1.02 million in his career.

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

Grand Circuit Standings: In 2016, 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 Farm is the sponsor for the 2016 Grand Circuit awards.

Here are the current leaders:

Drivers: 1. Yannick Gingras – 550.5; 2. Tim Tetrick – 407.5; 3. David Miller – 406; 4. Matt Kakaley – 271; 5t. Jordan Stratton – 236.5; 5t. Brett Miller – 236.5.

Trainers: 1. Ron Burke – 654; 2. Jimmy Takter – 441.5; 3. Jeff Bamond Jr. – 175; 4. Clyde Francis – 162.5; 5. Peter Tritton – 149.5.

Owners: 1. Burke Racing Stable – 152.45; 2. Harry von Knoblauch – 149.5; 3. Weaver Bruscemi – 123.5; 4. Bamond Racing – 117; 5. Tom Hill – 97.

Looking ahead: Grand Circuit action will be taking place next week at Vernon Downs, Mohawk Racetrack, The Downs at Mohegan Sun Pocono, Red Shores Racetrack & Casino, Yonkers Raceway and Hippodrome 3R. Vernon will kick off the week by hosting of the second leg of the Kindergarten for freshman pacers and trotters; Mohawk Racetrack will feature the Nassagaweya and Eternal Camnation; The Downs at Mohegan Sun Pocono will offer the Battle of the Brandywine, the Colonial and the Valley Forge; Red Shores Racetrack & Casino has the Gold Cup and Saucer final; Yonkers Raceway will contest the Lady Maud and Hudson Filly Trot eliminations; and Hippodrome 3R will host the Prix d’Ete.