Plainville, MA – Plainridge Park will host the Grand Circuit once again on Saturday (May 16) when a field of eight will line up behind the gate for the G3 $100,000 Battle of Bunker Hill Trot. Half of that field comprises four colts with aspirations of starting in the G1 $1 million Hambletonian on August 8 at The Meadowlands, and the connections of them all hope early success here can propel them toward that goal.
Midwind Chimp (Gimpanzee-Boccone Dolce) spent his freshman season racing in Kentucky where he scored one win and four seconds in seven starts. Although his lifetime mark was 1:56.4, he was also race timed in 1:52.1 in his second-to-last race of the season in the Bluegrass stake at The Red Mile.
This year, he qualified back at The Meadowlands in a winning 1:57.2 effort and then finished sixth, beaten only 2-1/2 lengths, in the $157,125 Dexter Cup at The Big M while trotting in 1:53.3, home in :27.3.
Midwind Chimp will start from post one for trainer Marcus Melander with Mattias Melander in the bike.
Who’s Eyes Blues (Chapter Seven-Behindblueyes) saw the most action of any horse in this field last year and posted earnings of $181,850 as a result. He had two wins in his 15 starts, both coming in succession last July in the Kindergarten at The Meadowlands and in a New York Sire Stake event at Yonkers. He continued to compete in the NYSS and made the final where he made a break at the start. However he came back strong with a second-place finish to Spencer Hanover in the $250,000 Big Apple Stake final at Vernon Downs in October.
After two qualifiers at Harrah’s Philly to start this year, Who’s Eyes Blues also raced in the Dexter Cup and finished third, beaten only 1-3/4 lengths and was timed identically to Midwind Chimp, in 1:53.3, home in :27.3.
Who’s Eyes Blues has drawn post two and trainer Ron Burke has assigned Nick Graffam to steer.
Create Escape (Gimpanzee-Final Countdown) only had four starts last year, but he showed excellent speed in all of them. He won his first career outing in 1:57.2 at Mohegan Sun Pocono and three starts later after two impressive outings in Kentucky stakes, later lowered his lifetime mark to 1:54.3 in a 2-1/4 length jaunt in an overnight at The Meadowlands before shutting down for the season.
This year after qualifying back in 1:57 in a narrowly beaten second at The Meadowlands, Create Escape won his first start in an overnight at M1 in 1:55.
Create Escape will start from post four for trainer Ake Svanstedt, who has named Jonathan Ahle to take the lines.
Svanstedt will also start Nebbiolo (Captain Corey-Via Lattea It) in the Battle, who will definitely stand out from the crowd with his beautiful white coat, listed as “pinto” in the program. Nebbiolo showed a propensity to win last year starting with his first lifetime qualifier, which was a 1:59.4 victory at The Meadowlands. He then fired off four in a row at Mohegan Sun Pocono and Harrah’s Philly, where he took his career mark of 1:55.3 in a 3-1/2 length romp. His last start of 2025 was in the $421,000 Valley Victory at M1 where he drew post nine, but still finished in a dead heat for fourth, race timed in 1:54.4 after a rough trip.
This will be Nebbiolo’s first start of the year after qualifying in 1:56.3 almost one month ago at The Meadowlands.
Sarah Svanstedt will drive Nebbiolo in this start with a mid-pack start from post five.
Post time for the first race at Plainridge Park on Saturday will be at 4 p.m. The Battle of Bunker Hill Trot is scheduled to go off at approximately 6 p.m.