Lucrative Grand Circuit weekend on the horizon
August 31, 2016,by Paul Ramlow, publicity director, the Grand Circuit
This Week: Yonkers Trot and Messenger Stakes, Yonkers Raceway, Yonkers, N.Y.; Canadian Pacing Derby, Metro, She’s A Great Lady, Simcoe Stakes and Champlain Stakes, Mohawk Racetrack, Campbellville, Ontario.
Schedule of events: A busy holiday weekend of Grand Circuit action is led by a pair of Triple Crown events at Yonkers Raceway on Saturday (Sept. 3). The Hilltop oval will host the $500,000 Yonkers Trot for 3-year-old trotters and the $500,000 Messenger Stakes for 3-year-old pacers. These races will be the second legs in the Triple Crown for their respective gaits.
Grand Circuit action at Mohawk commences on Thursday (Sept. 1) with two divisions in the C$221,132 Champlain Stakes for 2-year-old filly trotters. The Friday (Sept. 2) program is highlighted by two divisions in the C$221,204 Simcoe Stakes for 3-year-old filly trotters and two divisions in the C$212,451 Champlain Stakes for 2-year-old colt trotters. The huge Saturday (Sept. 3) program features the C$616,000 Canadian Pacing Derby for older pacers, the C$661,000 Metro for 2-year-old male pacers and the C$427,000 She’s A Great Lady for 2-year-old filly pacers. Also on the program will be two divisions in the C$208,040 Simcoe Stakes for 3-year-old colt trotters and a single C$215,704 division in the Simcoe Stakes for 3-year-old filly pacers.
Complete entries for the races at Yonkers are available at this link. Entries for the Mohawk races are available at this link.
Last time: The Grand Circuit spotlight was on Vernon Downs this past Friday with the Crawford Farms for open trotters and the Muscle Hill for trotting mares.
Fotowon photo
Obrigado captured his second consecutive Crawford Farms title.
In the $193,000 Crawford Farms for open trotters, 2015 Crawford winner Obrigado ($14.80) proved successful in defending his crown, dueling with odds-on favorite Resolve (Åke Svanstedt) for nearly the final three-eighths of the mile en route to a 1:51.2 triumph in rein to Mark MacDonald.
The 6-year-old Boy Band gelding approached the first turn from second-over, drafting behind Resolve into a :26 first quarter before capturing the lead for himself in a backed-down :55.1 half-mile. Just as Obrigado cleared, Resolve angled back off the pegs to re-engage, and the two dueled through the far turn.
Despite being headed just above head-stretch, Obrigado dug deep to prevail, reclaiming the lead in the final 100 yards to narrowly beat Resolve. Flanagan Memory (Brian Sears) closed from last to take third, making massive gains down the grandstand side.
Trainer Paul Kelley shares in ownership of Obrigado with the SRF Stable, Linwood Higgins, and Stable 45.
Following wins in the Hambletonian Maturity, Fresh Yankee, and a Miss Versatility preliminary event, Hannelore Hanover ($2.90) had no trouble maintaining her dominance in the distaff trotting ranks on Friday evening at Vernon Downs, posting a resounding 1:51.3 victory in the $170,000 Muscle Hill.
Yannick Gingras had the 4-year-old Swan For All mare involved from the outset, working clear of 2015 Empire Breeders Classic winner Barn Doll (Jeff Gregory) just after a :27.1 first quarter-mile. Upon taking charge, Hannelore Hanover faced no threats whatsoever, rating a soft :29.4 second sectional before accelerating clear of the competition off the far turn. She used a :54.3 final half to put 3-3/4 lengths on the first-over Shake It Cerry (David Miller), who rallied to take second from the fully extended Barn Doll.
Ron Burke trains Hannelore Hanover for the Burke Racing Stable, the Weaver Bruscemi partnership, and Frank Baldachino. Hannelore Hanover captured the Vernon track record for 4-year-old trotting mares with her 1:51.3 score, topping Maven’s performance in the 2014 Muscle Hill by two-fifths of a second.
Complete recaps of all the 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 – 674.5; 2. Tim Tetrick – 528.5; 3. David Miller – 528; 4. Brett Miller – 293.5; 5. Matt Kakaley – 281.
Trainers: 1. Ron Burke – 781.5; 2. Jimmy Takter – 563.5; 3. Linda Toscano – 205; 4. Erv Miller – 197; 5. Tony Alagna – 196.
Owners: 1. Burke Racing Stable – 183.97; 2. Weaver Bruscemi – 155.02; 3. Harry von Knoblauch – 149.5; 4. Tom Hill – 127; 5. Bamond Racing – 117.
Looking ahead: Grand Circuit action will be taking place next week at Mohawk Racetrack, Scioto Downs and The Meadowlands. Mohawk will feature eliminations of the Canadian Trotting Classic, Maple Leaf Trot, Elegantimage, William Wellwood Memorial and Peaceful Way, as well as Champlain Stakes for 2-year-old pacers and Simcoe Stakes for 3-year-old colt pacers; Scioto will host the Jim Ewart Memorial for older pacers; Meadowlands Racetrack will feature legs of the Kindergarten Series for 2-year-old pacers and trotters and the Miss Versatility Series for older trotting mares.
- Steacy’s fillies look to overcome tough posts in She’s A Great Lady final (Tuesday, August 30, 2016)
The value of picking your post position after an elimination victory isn’t getting to select your exact spot on the gate, but rather eliminating any chance of drawing a poor post. A half-length is all that separated rookie pacing filly Happy Hannah from securing a great post position to drawing the dreaded 10-hole in the C$427,000 She’s A Great Lady final on Saturday (Sept. 3) at Mohawk.
- Post draw kind to Yonkers Trot, Messenger favorites (Tuesday, August 30, 2016)
Hambletonian winner Marion Marauder drew post position No. 4 for Yonkers Trot No. 62 and Hempt Memorial and Adios champ Racing Hill landed the 3 hole for the 61st Messenger Stakes.
- Stage set for Super Saturday at Mohawk (Wednesday, August 31, 2016)
The C$661,000 Metro Pace and C$616,000 Canadian Pacing Derby will highlight Saturday’s (Sept. 3) C$2.4 million card at Mohawk Racetrack. One of the biggest nights of the season, the Canadian Pacing Derby and Metro card will put the sport’s top older pacers and the stars of the future on display. The C$427,000 She’s A Great Lady is also a main event on the card.
- Dr J Hanover, Racing Hill give Alagna two chances for second Messenger (Wednesday, August 31, 2016)
Dr J Hanover has made winning a habit this year at Yonkers Raceway. On Saturday (Sept. 3), he will try to continue his success at The Hilltop in the $500,000 Messenger Stakes for 3-year-old pacers.
- O’Sullivan starters ready for Metro (Wednesday, August 31, 2016)
Trainer Tony O’Sullivan will send out Beyond Delight, who won his Metro Pace elimination at 20-1, and Calvin K, who finished second to Windsong Napoleon in his elimination, in the C$661,000 Metro Pace final for 2-year-old males on Saturday (Sept. 3) at Mohawk Racetrack.
- Confident Marion Marauder seeks Yonkers Trot trophy (Thursday, September 01, 2016)
As Hambletonian winner Marion Marauder prepares for Saturday’s (Sept. 3) $500,000 Yonkers Trot for 3-year-old trotters at Yonkers Raceway — the second jewel in the Trotting Triple Crown — trainer Paula Wellwood feels the horse is set in his ways. That’s great when it comes to being on the track, as Marion Marauder has won seven of nine starts this season, including this past Saturday’s Yonkers Trot elimination in his small-track debut.
- State Treasurer ready to defend Pacing Derby title (Thursday, September 01, 2016)
Dr. Ian Moore trainee State Treasurer, the 2015 O’Brien Award Horse of the Year, returns to the stakes ranks to defend his Canadian Pacing Derby crown Saturday (Sept. 3) at Mohawk Racetrack. State Treasurer, who won last year’s edition in 1:47.4, is one of two starters sent out by Moore in Saturday’s C$616,000 contest.
- Gingras is hoping for big Saturday at Mohawk (Friday, September 02, 2016)
Yannick Gingras will head to Mohawk Racetrack on Saturday (Sept. 3) to drive the morning line favorites in both the She’s A Great Lady Stakes and Metro Pace, and the driver is impressed with both of the Jimmy Takter-trained horses.
- Mohawk ready for Canadian Pacing Derby and Metro (Friday, September 02, 2016)
Mohawk Racetrack is set to host its annual end of summer bash Saturday (Sept. 3), better known as the Canadian Pacing Derby and Metro Pace.
- Big efforts in Simcoe and Champlain Stakes (Friday, September 02, 2016)
Grand Circuit week continued Friday night (Sept. 2) at Mohawk Racetrack with 3-year-old trotting fillies and 2-year-old trotting colts and geldings in the spotlight. The C$221,204 Simcoe Stakes and C$212,447 Champlain Stakes each featured two divisions, with Caprice Hill, Emoticon Hanover, Signal Hill and Rubio all recording victories.