by Karsten Bonsdorf, USTA web newsroom correspondent

The final leg in the European Grand Circuit Series is the Italian stake race, The Gran Premio Nazionale at San Siro, Milan, which is to be raced this Sunday (Nov. 7).

A field 12 trotters will compete for a total purse of $580,000, but for two of the trotters there is more at stake — the purse for the overall winner in the Series, which is approximately $150,000.

Lou Guida-owned Lisa America goes into the race as the leader in the standings with a total of 15 points, just one point more than Sweden’s Torvald Palema. Points are given to the first four finishers in a race in this way: 5-3-2-1.

Lisa America won the draw as she got post position two and Torvald Palema got post position 12 and has to race from the second tier. The distance is 1-5/16th miles.

Lisa America hasn’t raced since she won The Aby Stora Pris in two heats in the middle of September, but her trainer, Jerry Riordan, took her to San Siro and trained her some days ago, where Lisa America was very impressive as she trotted 1:54f over the mile alone.

Here is the field:

1. Lana del Rio (I) – Santo Mollo
2. Lisa America (I) – Torbjörn Jansson
3. Lover Power (I) – Andrea Guzzinati
4. Geox (I) – Pietro Gubellini
5. Olga du Biwetz (F) – Jean Michel Bazire
6. Looney Tunes (I) – Maik Esper
7. Opal Viking (S) – David Nuti
8. Million Flying (I) – Paolo Romanelli
9. La Dany Bar (I) – Marco Smorgon
10. Italiano (I) – Enrico Bellei
11. Irving Rivarco (I) – Roberto Vecchione
12. Torvald Palema (S) – Åke Svanstedt