by Paul Ramlow, publicity director, The Grand Circuit

This Week: Grand Circuit events will be held this week at the Illinois State Fair in Springfield, the Indiana State Fair in Indianapolis, the Meadowlands in New Jersey and at Indiana Downs in Indiana.

Schedule of events: Review Stakes action at Springfield begins on Monday (August 17) with the $62,000 3-year-old colt trot; the $31,000 2-year-old colt pace; the $31,000 2-year-old filly pace; and the $28,000 3-year-old filly trot. The Tuesday (August 18) program features the $53,000 2-year-old colt trot; the $34,000 3-year-old colt pace; the $32,000 3-year-old filly pace; and the $25,000 2-year-old filly trot.

The Indianapolis card will be a one-day affair on Saturday (August 22). The feature is the $63,000 (est.) Fox Stakes for 2-year-old open pacers. Its companion stake is the $56,000 (est.) Ralph Wilfong for 2-year-old open trotters. There will also be four events in The Horseman (a stake for 3-year-olds of both sexes and gaits) and the Hoosier Stakes (for 2-year-olds of both sexes and gaits).

Breeders Crown events for older pacers and trotters will be in the spotlight on Saturday night (August 22) at the Meadowlands. On tap are the $600,000 Open Trot, the $500,000 Open Pace, the $331,500 Mare Pace and the $250,000 Mare Trot.

Indiana Downs will also host Grand Circuit action on Saturday night (August 22). Featured are the $300,000 (est.) Monument Circle for 3-year-old colt pacers; the $250,000 (est.) Kentuckiana Stallion Management for 2-year-old filly trotters; the $209,000 (est.) Kentuckiana Stallion Management for 2-year-old filly pacers; and the $100,000 (est.) Oliver Trotting Classic for 3-year-old open trotters.

Last time: Ron Pierce captured two of the marquee events during the Super Stakes Sunday card of Grand Circuit racing at Harrah’s Chester. He won the $500,000 Colonial Trot for 3-year-old colts with Explosive Matter in a world record clocking of 1:53 and also took the $500,000 Battle of the Brandywine for 3-year-old pacing colts with Well Said in a time of 1:50.

David Miller also had a pair of winners at Chester, taking the $350,000 Valley Forge for 3-year-old pacing fillies behind Special Sweetheart and the $200,000 Battle of the Brandywine Consolation I with Arctic Warrior.

At the Meadowlands, only one Breeders Crown elimination race was required last week for the older Standardbreds. In that $40,000 race for trotting mares, Yannick Gingras drove Maid For Tag to a 1:51.4 triumph, a Meadowlands track record for an older trotting mare.

Grand Circuit Driving Standings: Jim Morrill, Jr. continues to hold a commanding lead in the Grand Circuit driving standings with 24 wins so far in 2009. Tim Tetrick holds down second place with 14 victories. Brian Sears is in third place with 13 wins. Ron Pierce checks in fourth with 11 triumphs. David Miller is in fifth place with 10 winners. Dave Palone is sixth with nine victories. John Campbell holds down seventh place with eight triumphs. Brett Miller is eighth with seven victories. George Brennan is ninth with five winners in 2009. Daniel Dube and Mike Simons round out the top 10 with four triumphs apiece.

Looking ahead: The Grand Circuit will be off next week. Racing action will resume the first week of September at the Du Quoin State Fair in Illinois and at Mohawk Racetrack in Ontario.